Hospitality recognized the 'stranger' as a child of God lwho is oved and valued in God's eyes as much as we ourselves are loved and valued. Hosptiality is an act of the our heart opening to the heart of another. In this way, hospitality is a personal practice, an act we an offer at any time and at any place.
Hospitaltiy has another dimension as a public act. The sign of this public act is our greeting of someone we do not know. A hand shake, sharing our name, listening for the guest's name in return. However these signs of public greeting are not the same as the public practice of hospitality. The public act of hospitality is to gather with others as a community and place ourselves in relationship to God. One person described it this way to me, "I need time to get on my knees each week with people who are seeking to believe, with people I know and I don't know. Getting on my knees places me in the posture of humanity in relationship to God's divinity."
As a community, we kneel knowing we a loved by God and yet we are not God. Kneeling togehter in our collective humanity is a public act of hospitality, welcoming one another in relationship with God and one another in Jesus Christ.
Reflecting on the every day, practical dimensions of faith. Practices to shape our lives each day as followers of Christ. Stories to share our practical experiences of wisdom, faith, hope, and love.
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