I got a note yesterday from a friend I haven't seen in awhile. It came at just the right time and was a gift of hospitality. We had a lovely, relaxed lunch on Sunday--a gift from a couple for my birthday. The food was delicious, the venue lovely, and most of all, it enabled quiet and calm for a few minutes. That's a rarity on Sundays.
A bottle of wine made me deeply grateful for a friendship. An opportunity to lead worship in another congregation made me deeply grateful for the body of Christ. Being back home makes me deeply grateful for a community in which I feel loved.
Radical hospitality includes receiving as well as giving. Believe me, if you only give, you wear out. We've been talking about this for almost 40 days, and we still haven't changed the world.
Openness to receiving from others, from God, from circumstance--that, too, is part of hospitality. The refusal to receive even stumbling efforts of acceptance slows miracle.
Being truly open to receiving, even from your enemies is today's Lenten challenge.
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