Thrive: Hospitality Rooted in Gratitude
- Missouri Union Presbytery
- Jun 2
- 2 min read
Last week we began our second book study that meets 5 consecutive Thursdays for an hour on Zoom. Our current book is “The Art of Hospitality (Revised Edition)”. Our first meeting was filled with lively discussion and the generation of ideas and visions of hope. If you would like to join us, please us the following link:
I have had the topic of “Hospitality” on my mind for the last week. I have been mentally and physically cleaning up my desk and car following our amazing four days of activities with our General Assembly Co-Moderators, Tony Larson and Cece Armstrong. So… I have been shifting papers, considering filing, and writing thank you notes. So far, I have written twenty-six cards and have fifteen more to go. I should be finished with the physical proof of gratitude by tomorrow morning, but it will be quite a long time before I am finished with the soul deep gratitude for those who planned, welcomed, fed and cleaned up after us.
This has made me consider… what exactly is hospitality and where does it come from?
Sometimes when you are welcomed, it feels as though hospitality comes from a place of duty or necessary work. But other times it feels as if it comes from a place of joy, it makes you feel as though your welcome has been planned just for you, that you have been anticipated in every detail, and that your entrance is a point of joy for your host. I wonder… what makes the difference?
In our congregations, welcome is extended over and over, to each other, to people we know in the community and even to strangers in our midst. Are we projecting a sense of duty? Or are we showing in our actions the love we have experienced in Christ Jesus and the joy of knowing the call of the Spirit. This is the question for you to explore: How are visitors and friends experiencing your welcome? Consider calling a pastor or two from a neighboring congregation (no they do not need to be Presbyterian) and asking them to send one or two visitors to your church to evaluate their welcome experience in the next 2 months and then writing you a note about what they found and experienced. It is a great way to get feedback on how you are doing! Enjoy!
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