Today's reading from the Acts of the
Apostles speaks about a journey that Paul and some of the other members of the
Early Church made in order to follow Jesus' command to spread his Good New to
all the world. On this journey, they
encounter a wonderful woman, Lydia, whose heart is opened to God. Not only did Lydia and her family accepted
baptism into the Lord after she hears what Paul has to say. She goes one step further, inviting Paul into
her home in an act of true hospitality.
We see acts of hospitality a lot in our
culture. Here in the American South,
sharing a meal with someone and offering refreshments to a guest are important
in our conception of hospitality. I also
remember how as a lay missionary in Ecuador, I would travel every week to the
small jungle villages that our mission site served. Loving and generous members of our faith
communities in these villages would invite me into their homes, sharing a meal
with me and allowing me to accompany them on their journey of faith. Many of these families faced great hardship
in their lives as the struggled to make a living in the vast rainforest jungle. But the love of God was so evident by their
graciousness & their hospitality.
With the example of Lydia and so many
other faithful followers of Jesus that have come before us, may we continue to
practice Christian hospitality. May we
let open the doors of our hearts to God, reaching out to others in a sense of
unity and welcome, even when we face great obstacles and challenges
ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment