Hospitality
I crave community and long for the ability to be hospitable and host people in my home.
There is something so organic and beautiful about people sharing meals together around a table, coming together for both food and conversation, joining in the very thing that God is - community.
I firmly believe that God created us for community. God in his very nature is community - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and when we gather together {where two or more are gathered...} we, with God, create a holy space where life is lived and the presence of God is seen in conversation, breaking of bread, and in the participation of life together.
Whenever I think of hospitality I think of Jesus sitting with his disciples breaking bread and sharing wine, talking, crying, questioning, probably laughing and joking...it's beautiful. And then I picture us, sitting at a table, sharing, crying, questioning, laughing, eating, drinking, mirroring the hospitality, brokenness, vulnerability, comfort, and life that those before experienced and displayed. Creating a holy space, helping bridge this gap between heaven and earth.
That sounds kind of a bold to say that eating with people and talking to them can be a bridge between heaven and earth, but I totally believe it is! We bring heaven to earth when we practice hospitality and show Jesus through our actions to others - Jesus ate, drank, talked to, and lived life with people. He didn't just teach and preach, he lived intentionally. We can, and should, do that too.
Hospitality doesn't have to just be shown through food and conversation, but that currently is my favorite form of it. I've always loved being around people and I've always loved food, so sharing meals and holding conversations is at the top of my list, of course.
Right now I feel like I'm in a bit of slump when it comes to community and hospitality, which bums me out big time, but it's a learning experience.
Clay and I are currently living an hour away from where we go to church, work, and where the majority of our friends live, so we feel a bit isolated from our previously known world of hosting friends and events at our home, getting coffee with people on the fly, and generally feeling connected.
We are taking this time to learn what we can, but my heart pines for that connectedness and ability to host and share life with others more frequently.
My happiest moments are when I'm gathered with people. I believe I was born to be hospitable and foster community in one form or another. This could be in a class at church, in my home, or in conversations on the sidewalk. Wherever it is, I'm sure this is one of my life's purposes. I'm not totally comfortable with that idea, but the more I learn about myself and the God I believe in and serve the more I see that this is part of my calling. So in this time of in-between I'm trying to be content with learning more about community and hospitality via blogs and books, and trying to be intentional with the moments we do get... but again, it's a learning experience.
There is so much more I could talk about on this topic, and I probably will at some point, but for now let me leave you with a few quotes from Shauna Niequist {who I'm beginning to love more and more as an author and model of hospitality}. And if you'd like to talk hospitality and community with me, let me know - I'd love to share in that conversation with you.
There is something so organic and beautiful about people sharing meals together around a table, coming together for both food and conversation, joining in the very thing that God is - community.
I firmly believe that God created us for community. God in his very nature is community - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and when we gather together {where two or more are gathered...} we, with God, create a holy space where life is lived and the presence of God is seen in conversation, breaking of bread, and in the participation of life together.
Whenever I think of hospitality I think of Jesus sitting with his disciples breaking bread and sharing wine, talking, crying, questioning, probably laughing and joking...it's beautiful. And then I picture us, sitting at a table, sharing, crying, questioning, laughing, eating, drinking, mirroring the hospitality, brokenness, vulnerability, comfort, and life that those before experienced and displayed. Creating a holy space, helping bridge this gap between heaven and earth.
That sounds kind of a bold to say that eating with people and talking to them can be a bridge between heaven and earth, but I totally believe it is! We bring heaven to earth when we practice hospitality and show Jesus through our actions to others - Jesus ate, drank, talked to, and lived life with people. He didn't just teach and preach, he lived intentionally. We can, and should, do that too.
Hospitality doesn't have to just be shown through food and conversation, but that currently is my favorite form of it. I've always loved being around people and I've always loved food, so sharing meals and holding conversations is at the top of my list, of course.
Right now I feel like I'm in a bit of slump when it comes to community and hospitality, which bums me out big time, but it's a learning experience.
Clay and I are currently living an hour away from where we go to church, work, and where the majority of our friends live, so we feel a bit isolated from our previously known world of hosting friends and events at our home, getting coffee with people on the fly, and generally feeling connected.
We are taking this time to learn what we can, but my heart pines for that connectedness and ability to host and share life with others more frequently.
My happiest moments are when I'm gathered with people. I believe I was born to be hospitable and foster community in one form or another. This could be in a class at church, in my home, or in conversations on the sidewalk. Wherever it is, I'm sure this is one of my life's purposes. I'm not totally comfortable with that idea, but the more I learn about myself and the God I believe in and serve the more I see that this is part of my calling. So in this time of in-between I'm trying to be content with learning more about community and hospitality via blogs and books, and trying to be intentional with the moments we do get... but again, it's a learning experience.
There is so much more I could talk about on this topic, and I probably will at some point, but for now let me leave you with a few quotes from Shauna Niequist {who I'm beginning to love more and more as an author and model of hospitality}. And if you'd like to talk hospitality and community with me, let me know - I'd love to share in that conversation with you.
And one quote from one of my favorite blogs {gracetable.org}
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| 1 Peter 4:8-11 {Under "Living for God"} |
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