Pastoral Musings from Rain City

it's about 'what is church?' it's about whether 'emergent' is the latest Christian trend or something more substantial. it's musing on what it means to live faithfully...in the city, in America, in community, intergenerationally, at this time in history...

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Hospitality - Making Room for God

Here are two very good resources to pique your thinking on the subject of hospitality. The first is the story of Hungarian hospitality for young people who gathered in Budapest from around the world as part of my favorite movement on the planet. It shares some of the challenges and blessings that come from opening your home to strangers.

The second is a rather extensive quotation, used in the sermon of June 30th, from Francis Schaeffer, quoted on someone else's blog, but read by my wife and I many years ago while we were in the midst of having our own stuff broken during the practice of hospitality.

The blessings far outweigh the burdens, or at least that's been our experience. I'd encourage you to begin opening your home, and especially realizing that each person who comes through the door needn't be, or become a life long friend - and yet you can still be fully present with them in the moment and appreciate the mutuality of ministry that unfolds.

God has given so many of us so much! I'm convicted by my propensity to squander these riches on the trivial, and am praying for the faith to both see and embrace the needed changes! I hope you'll do the same and that in doing so, you'll find the face of Christ again and again in the stranger you've yet to meet.

cheers

1 Comments:

At 8/7/07 13:08, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This approach to the subject of hospitality last week was of great practical help for me. Thanks....

 

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