Across the Pastor’s Desk by Don Rose

Every profession or organization seems to have its own buzzwords.

These are words that become popular and, as a result, are quite frequently over used and without meaning. It appears that the word “hospitality” is one of the current buzzwords within the community of faith.

On the surface, hospitality is a little bit like apple pie, Mom or the flag. What can one possibly say that might be negative about hospitality?

To be sure, hospitality is an important concept in the life of faith as it speaks to an invitation of welcome and acceptance on the part of God and God’s people.

One expects a host or hostess to be hospitable in receiving guests. The host or hostess helps the guest to feel welcome and at ease during his or her visit. However, such welcome and ease does not necessarily mean that the guest will feel at “home” because in fact he or she is not at home but rather a guest in someone else’s home.

There is a point at which the guest also is expected to be hospitable. The guest realizes that he or she is in a different environment than his or her own and becomes aware of the nuances of that new environment.

If it is the custom to remove one’s shoes at the door, than a guest who is hospitable will do the same even if that isn’t the practice in his or her home. A good guest will not assert his or her independence to do as he or she wills when it comes to reasonable expectations upon the part of the host.

If the guest feels that he or she is unable to be hospitable then perhaps another place of lodging would be appropriate rather than expecting the host to drop everything for the guest’s every whim.

The important point about hospitality is to recognize that it is a two-way street. When it comes to human relationships and human organizations it really isn’t one size fits all.

Hospitality speaks to community and an awareness that the sun doesn’t in fact revolve around any one individual any more than it does around another.

In the life of faith this is a clear recognition that all sin falls short of the glory of God as the Apostle Paul wrote and that ultimately all of God’s people are in this adventure of life together.

For the community of faith, hospitality is grounded best in a clear understanding of whom and what that community is about. Not every community will be able to be everything to everyone all of the time. Quite the opposite seems to be true. The less clear a community of faith is about itself and the more it tries to be everything to everyone the less likely it is to be anything to anyone.

During this season of Advent, a time of waiting and preparation, may God’s people think about and prepare to be good guests and good hosts in the times that lie ahead.

 

Don Rose is the pastor of United Lutheran Church and Mansfield Lutheran Church.