Radical Hospitality...Ultimate

Good Friday.

I wonder how many of us spend any time considering the day. How many of us think about all the ways we kill off God's radical hospitality one person at a time.
dirty
lazy
Democrat
Republican
young
old
poor
GLTBQ
female
male
black
hispanic
white
fundamentalist
Christian
Muslim
Jew

I could do this for a while.

Today, in history, we killed Jesus. I'm not big on atonement theories. Not convinced that God "sent Jesus to die." Convinced that God came as Jesus to show us the possibilities of living in God's radical hospitality. The more we had to lose to include others, the less we liked the change.

I use "we" intentionally. I like my comfortable American lifestyle. I think we can do better. I work to the best of my ability to see that happen...well, the best of my comfortable ability. This day of all days is one I hate. It holds up my failures in ways I cannot escape.

I hammer the nails. Sometimes I make choices knowing they are not good. Sometimes I don't know how to stop the hammering. Sometimes I hammer without knowing I am hurting others.

The good news of the day is that God makes a way out for all of us. Life is stronger than death. Hope stronger than despair.

But today is pretty inescapable. I am as much a part of the problem as those who hammered nails into that cross. If we don't admit who we are today, then we can't recognize the depth of the ultimate hospitality God will show.

Lord have mercy....