"All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."    The Rule of St. Benedict

I’ve been involved in many conversations lately that center around the concept of hospitality, of being a host. As a church staff we are exploring the notion of what it means to offer ‘radical hospitality’….a hospitality with arms stretched even wider than ‘welcome’, with a heart that offers itself to all…no holds barred. It is a fascinating idea to consider….what does hospitality really mean? What does it mean to say we welcome to our home….everyone…without exception? It is a conversation that has only just begun so I’ll keep you posted.

The conversation however did jog my imagination to times when I have been hosted well. I recall a time after a very cold and rainy camping and canoe trip on the Mississippi River. As we dragged our canoes out of the water near a farm that overlooked the Mississippi, the couple that lived nearby invited our soggy foursome into their home, offering us raspberries, freshly picked, swimming in a bowl of rich, white cream. They didn’t know us, we didn’t know them. They simply opened their home and offered what seemed like nectar from the gods. Radical hospitality.

I remember visiting my Aunt Enie at her farm. She was not wealthy in material things but she had a kitchen table that was always laden with the freshest things from the garden, plenty of coffee and sugary ‘sweet tea’ and always an empty chair….for whoever stopped by. If she didn’t already have a pie or cake resting under white cotton dishtowels,waiting to be sliced, she would go to her freezer and pull out ‘ice box cookies’ , cut into the roll and soon the kitchen, no, the whole house, would be filled with the aroma of freshly baking cookies. Radical hospitality.

And then there was my father’s funeral. As we gathered, filled with grief and loss, food began to show up at our door. Platters of coldcuts, loaves of bread, paper plates and cups…so we wouldn’t have to think about doing dishes…..even toilet paper. After the funeral, as we gathered in the church basement, this small church of less than a  hundred members, served everyone lunch…two long tables of hearty food and another of desserts…..each person had offered their ‘specialty’, their best dish out of their own kitchen, prepared by loving hands. Radical hospitality.

Hospitality remembered often centers around food. Whether literal food is involved or not, hospitality is an offering of nourishment….a being fed….of quenching thirst….of our ‘best’…out of our deep knowing that we have enough, more than enough through the grace of the Holy in our midst.

"The he took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told the disciples,"Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets."  John 6

This weekend….may you be hosted well….and may you also host well……..out of your abundance. Blessings to you……………..