Fri. 14 Jan. 2022
Hospitality
Rob Stevens
“Welcome ALL in the name of Christ!”
Every Sunday I stand before the congregation and offer this invitation. “No matter who you are or where you are on your journey of faith, not only are you welcome here at St. John’s, but you are also welcome at God’s table.” I say this to make clear that the gifts of God are not our possessions but are gifts to be shared with all people. It may be the most important sentence in my ministry. Welcoming all people to the table is a powerful symbol, but I need to remember that the welcoming spirit of God does not stop there. The practice of hospitality done well is a practice that covers all aspects of life.
Do you remember going back to school in the fall (or starting at a new school)? I remember well those first days of school as a child. There was excitement to re-connect with friends and apprehension of the unknown challenges that lay ahead. What do you remember about your return to school? One memory of mine is that it was difficult to find my place right away. It seemed to take a few weeks, which for a child could feel like an eternity.
I imagine that coming to St. John’s for the first time is much like going out to recess for the first time as a first grader. Trying to decipher the liturgy and navigating our community on one’s own could be downright terrifying. Do you remember the first time that you ever saw people jumping rope at recess? I am referring to the jumping rope where two people swing the rope and one or two people are jumping. I remember watching and thinking “That looks like fun. I want to do that!” The jumping looked easy, but I wondered how they entered the rope without being thumped on the head or feet with the spinning rope. I quickly learned that the kids who were adept at jumping had very good timing and knew the “secret” of how to get inside the rope where the jumping was fun. St. John’s—all churches, can be like jumping rope. Once one learns the timing and “gets inside” all the benefits can be experienced, but until then one remains on the outside…and if we are honest being on the outside is not life-giving whether we are on a first-grade playground or at church. My break-through on the playground came when a third-grade girl saw me standing watching and told me she could help me. She told me to listen to her and that she would count down 3, 2, 1 and then together we would jump into the middle where the rope would not hit us, and the jumping was fun. At that moment, school for little Robby Stevens, became the most fun and exciting place on earth.
St. John’s strives for excellence in our worship and formation opportunities, but they are worthless without the engagement of our most precious and valuable resource, one another. Here we are all on a journey, a journey to experience God. We offer excellent opportunities for children, teens and adults and our elders to experience God. Yet sometimes people are still on the fringes watching the fun. What strikes me about my childhood breakthrough was that it was not one of my teachers or the principal that took me through the barrier. It was one of my peers, another kid, just like me. This winter and spring there will be many new opportunities. It takes people willing to step out of their comfort zone and do the inviting and the teaching, just like that little girl did for me. A vital healthy community requires us to develop hearts and minds and practices that look out for the stranger in our midst.
Hospitality is the spiritual word for what that little girl did for me. She welcomed me as Christ into the game. She was aware enough to notice that I was on the fringe and longed to be in the game. As we enter the new year with all the opportunities, activities, and changes perhaps we will be emboldened by the example of that third grader and not be content to experience God alone but reach out in love to those on the fringe and share the gift that is a community that strives to experience God in all things.