Nowadays when people think of hospitality they think of Martha Stewart and a perfect house with perfect food. Or the hospitality industry which includes hotels, spas or vacations. Or church committees responsible for potluck lunches or the coffee hour. Somewhere along the way we've lost the true meaning of hospitality.
Henri Nouwen states:
Hospitality . . . means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines. It is not to lead our neighbour into a corner where there are no alternatives left, but to open a wide spectrum of options for choice and commitment.
This quote is so rich in meaning that you need to break it down into manageable pieces. If we were to take this quote and attempt to live this out in our churches, how would we do it? What does it mean to make room for the other? I believe when we can change our language from evangelism to hospitality and welcome, we begin on the right track. When we let go of our agendas and programs, we begin to be free to live into a space when people are welcome as they are. And if we are really honest with ourselves, we as a church become free to be who we are too.
I received an email from a friend from Winnipeg who sent me this link to a CBC podcast. Take time to listen how people are striving to make room for others. Click here to listen. Then think how you can begin to recapture a life of hospitality. (More posts on hospitality to follow)
