Friday 17 October 2008

Today is a continuation of the piece from yesterday - again by Stanley Hauerwas.

The kingdom of peace initiated by Jesus is also the kingdom of love which is most clearly embodied in the Christian obligation to be hospitable. We are a community on principle standing ready to share our meal with the stranger. Moreover we must be a people who have hospitable selves - we must be ready to be stretched by what we know not. Friendship becomes our way of life as we learn to rejoice in the presence of others. Thus Jesus' kingdom is one that requires commitment to friends, for without them the journey that is the kingdom is impossible. We can only know where we walk as we walk with others.

"We must be ready to be stretched by what we know not." Hospitality is all about an availability that is not disturbed by the stranger or the extra one at the table. Personally that is not an easy for me. Add an extra person to the dinner table and my "plans" as to how things will go fall apart. Usually the falling apart does not last very long...but it is there. I'm out of control - and it may only be for moments or enough time to breathe a little bit - but I'm out of control. Hospitality is the gift we are given when we breathe through the tendency to control. I'm always amazed a people who are so gifted, they can move with the wind and never seem to hesitate when plans change and a new place is set at the table. They seem to just "go with it"....and go with it with open arms and hearts. What a gift! This is something that is within all our possibilities. The timing may be different with each of us....but the commitment we show to others in the actions of hospitality is so vital to making visible the peaceable Reign of God. We stand ready in worship at the table of the Lord's Supper. We sing "all are welcome" and nothing short of that will do. It is then from that table within that welcome that the rest of our lives become a gift of hospitality in a world that can be quite inhospitable to many people.

Connection: As I so often have to remind myself...breathe. In that breathing the Spirit of our Lord will open up our lives so that we can be stretched.

Move us beyond ourselves, O God. And when we are moved, help us to make room for those we have yet to encounter. For when we are ready and willing to make room for others, your Spirit begins to build community even when we are not looking for it. Surprise us. Amen.