Hospitality Matters

I live in a beautiful little town at the foot of the German Alps. I have often thought of it as “Belle’s village” in Beauty and the Beast. I’ve been blessed in so many ways through this charming place.

When I got here three years ago, the first thing that happened was that my husband deployed. My three boys and I were left to fend for ourselves. We then looked for a church home. There is a military chapel here, but my experience with chapels, and chaplains in particular, had never been very good. So as soon as I got the license that would allow me to drive on German roads, we headed to Munich (about 120 km away…or 72 miles…the church we were looking for anyway).

If you’ve never driven on the autobahn, it can be a daunting experience the first couple of times. People drive fast on these roads! 120 miles an hour is the norm for some of them.

Once we got to Munich, it took me over an hour to find the church. After finding it, we sat through a portion of the service that was conducted in both English and German (which was lovely). As soon as it was time for the sermon, the English speakers headed downstairs. Then the sermon was presented…by a single man whose topic was child rearing. I bit my tongue as he said things that I thought not only unscriptural (like don’t try to make your kids read the Bible…it will just turn them off), but also untried. I have, however, sat through many sermons and discussions where I haven’t totally agreed with the speaker. This wasn’t necessarily anything that would keep me from returning. (But in all probability, I would have shared my thoughts about it with him.)

Afterwards, people came up and talked briefly with us. Then they said good-bye and headed out the door, leaving us standing by ourselves. I had just spent 2 1/2 hours trying to get myself and my children to worship service. I was miles away from our home and light years out of my comfort zone. I didn’t even know a restaurant in Munich to take my family to. We ended up driving back home, with the decision to not go back, firmly in place.

I think this was a God thing actually. I was most comfortable with worshiping as I knew how. With people who believed the same way I did. I was struggling between the idea of worshiping in Munich with people I would see only once a week, or with the people who I saw every day, in my community, but didn’t necessarily believe exactly like I did. I think God calls us to worship where we live, with the people who see our flaws. It holds us to a higher accountability. It makes us more than Sunday morning Christians. And getting me outside my comfort zone of “like-minded people,” made me more closely examine what it was exactly that I did believe.

That still brings me to this point. Hospitality. This is crucial. So many people say, “Oh, I don’t have to gift of hospitality; I just can’t open up my home like that.” Well, I have to respond gently, “I don’t think it’s an option.” It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command:

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Rom 12:13)

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (I Pet 4:9)

Even though the Son of Man had no place to lay His head, He sure did share a lot of meals with people. I think He knew something about fellowship that we in 21st Century America (or Germany for that matter) choose to ignore.

Does this mean that we must necessarily have people in our homes? No, I don’t think so (even though it’s not as daunting as some of us think it is). There are lots of fine restaurants out there. There are good coffee shops. There are great parks for picnics. There are even friends we have who like to open their homes. I have a few to whom I often say, “Hey, what if I invite so-n-so over to your house this weekend?” (I know, I have some pretty awesome friends…huh, Sue?)

The point is, people don’t necessarily step through our church doors because of the doctrine. It’s because they are attracted to a heart like Christ’s. The doctrine will come. But the love is visible.

I have so much more to say on this topic, but I’ll just close with this quote:

“Hospitality fleshes out love in a uniquely personal and sacrificial way. Through the ministry of hospitality, we share our most prized possessions. We share our family, home, finances, food, privacy, and time. Indeed, we share our very lives. So, hospitality is always costly. Through the ministry of hospitality, we provide friendship, acceptance, fellowship, refreshment, comfort, and love in one of the richest and deepest ways possible for humans to understand. Unless we open the doors of our homes to one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is only a theory.”—Alexander Strauch, (The Hospitality Commands)

American Idol

Before I get into the subject of this post, I want to clarify something. The things I write about, the topics I choose, are generally driven by weaknesses in my own life. They are issues I’ve struggled with, and more frequently than not, am still struggling with. (I know I’m ending way too many sentences with prepositions…please overlook this!) So, if you read something here and think to yourself, “I can’t believe that she’s airing my dirty laundry all over the internet,” rest assured. It’s not your laundry, it’s mine.

Having said that….what is the new American idol? Gingerly I put this out…family.

Is family a bad thing? No, of course not. Is a desire to make your family a priority in your life wrong? No, no, no. If more people did this, we, as a society, would have fewer problems. But this is the question. Can family be the number one priority in my life? And here I’m speaking as a Christian. If anything, other than God, is the number one priority in my life, then it is an idol. Plain and simple.

Self speaks…”But I am putting God first. He wants me to love and cherish my family. After all, my family is a gift from God.” This may all be true. But does He really want me to buy the latest Xbox for my teenager while families in Poland don’t have jackets or gloves? (These aren’t even vague, unknown strangers. These are people I have met, unloading boxes of donations we took to the Elim Center….an awesome mission, by the way.) Does He really want me to spend a small fortune on a holiday dinner for my family, while there’s a young man working at the PX who has no one to spend Christmas with? Is my Christianity that myopic?

Family centered life. Sounds good. Unless you’re one of those without one. Then I think you’re only more aware of your loneliness. (Take heart though; in reality, it’s you Christ came for.)

I think this was part of the problem with the hoopla over church closings on Christmas this year. I know this is a touchy area, and again, I’m stepping gingerly. For a church to close her doors on the day the world acknowledges the coming of her Lord into the world in human form…well, I think it sends a sad message. Family time is so important. But how can it be more important than worship time? We may be filled with righteous indignation over the term “Happy Holidays’ replacing “Merry Christmas,” but as the world looks at our closed doors, do they not think anything other than “hypocrite?”

“And wherever they went among the nations they profaned My Holy Name, for it was said of them, “These are the Lords’ people, and yet they had to leave this land.” I had concern for My Holy Name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.” (Ezekiel 36:20-21)

Lord, have mercy.

Psalm 119

Today is the 29th. That means that I read Psalm 119. Every 29th day of the month I read Psalm 119 as part of my daily Bible reading, among others. I know there are a few of you reading this blog who do the same. That is a subject for another day (Bible reading plan). Maybe New Year’s…(resolutions, anyone?)

Anyway, this psalm is long. I will admit that there was a time when I approached the 29th with, “Oh, how much time do I have this morning? This is going to take too much effort to get through.” Where’s the joy in that? My attitude certainly wasn't the one reflected in the psalm itself.

So I talked to God about it. First of all, I approached Him in shame for feeling that way toward His word. Secondly, I asked for a real and vibrant love for this passage. And you know what? God is faithful! This is one of my favorite psalms. It has become a kind of mantra for me, I guess. Not that I have attained the attitude displayed by the psalmist throughout it, but I have grown closer to it.

Vs. 9
How can a young man keep his way
pure?
By living according to Your word.

Lord, it is the prayer of my heart that I will live according to Your word, so that my sons, those young men whose ways I want to remain pure, will do likewise.

Vs. 11
I have hidden Your word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.

Lord, I want Scripture memorization and meditation to be a real part of my life.

Vs. 50
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.

Lord, all Your promises are answered “yes” in Christ. And my only response is “amen.”

Vs. 73
Your hands made me and formed
me;
give me understanding to learn
Your commands.

Lord, only You know me inside and out. Only in You is there any strength or ability to be what You desire me to be.

Vs. 94a
Save me, for I am Yours

Lord, this is my greatest assurance, my securest hope, my most precious promise. I am Yours!

Vs. 111
Your statutes are my heritage
forever;
they are the joy of my heart.

Lord, it is Your word from which I draw the provisions for my life.

Vs. 125
I am Your servant; give me
discernment
that I may understand Your
statutes.

Lord, I know that Your word (specifically the message of the cross) is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to the saved it is the power of God. Grant me discernment that I may grow is in Your strength, in knowledge, and in love.

v. 147
I rise before dawn and cry for
help;
I have put my hope in Your word.

Lord, may Your word be the first thing I seek in the morning; may Your praises be on my lips as I rise.

v. 176
I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek Your servant,
for I have not forgotten Your
commands.

But Father, what it all comes down to, is my unworthiness in the face of Your holiness. And miraculously, Your continued desire to hold me up and keep me close. I rest in this Lord, Your seeking of me.

“And when I lose my way,
You will find me,
Oh Lord, my Savior and my God.”
(from "Lord, You Are Greater than My Heart," words and music by
Johnathan Vest)

Holy Innocents

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” (Matthew 2:18)

December 28th…the Feast of the Holy Innocents. It’s a day the early church recognized those infants slaughtered by Herod. We can sit back in our cozy homes and shake our heads at the barbaric nature of this ancient king of Judea. But lest we get too comfortable, there are verses that apply to us as well.

“Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, ‘but we knew nothing about this,’
Does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who guards your life know it?
Will He not repay each person according to what He has done?” (Proverbs 24:10-12)

How many abortions are performed in the US in any given year? In any given day?

Is this an individual woman’s decision, her body being her own domain? Or does God see that unborn child as created in His image, a life much more precious than a sparrow’s?

Do we have a responsibility? Will God hold us accountable?

Christ's Joy

“I am coming to You now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them.” (John 17:13)

That verse is taken from Jesus’ high priestly prayer recorded in John 17. That prayer is one of my favorite passages of Scripture for many reasons, one of them being the reference to Christ’s joy. His desire was for that little ragtag band of disciples to have the full measure of His joy within them. Really, isn’t that just about incomprehensible? After all, He was God in the flesh. But He desired for them to have His joy, and for it to be complete.
Now that leads me to this question: What is Christ’s joy? I’ve been mulling this over for a few days now, because what I’ve found to be the answer is an even more amazing thing. Hebrews 12:2 says:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

As Christ set His eyes toward Jerusalem, He knew what awaited Him there. He also knew that He was going to the Father, and how that must have filled His heart with joy. But I don’t think that’s the joy that the Hebrew author is speaking about. Christ didn’t need to endure the cross to get to the Father. He could have just said no, and taken a more direct and less painful route. So what is this joy? What was accomplished by Christ’s death on the cross? Redemption for a lost mankind. Redemption for me. Because of that single act,

“The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
‘This one was born in Zion.’” (Psalm 87:6)

My salvation, my birth in Zion, a home prepared for me, grace to live abundantly….Christ has done all this for me (and for you as well). But not only has He done it, it is His joy! His delight is that I am His.

How can I wrap my mind around that?

The Second Day of Christmas

Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel.


Trivia Question: When is the Feast of Stephen? Since I’m asking this question today, December 26th, you can take that as a big hint. Stephen was the first martyr of the early church, stoned to death, while Saul (who would later become Paul) held the cloaks of those participating. He was also one of the Seven mentioned in the book of Acts. Because one of the roles of those early deacons was to care for the poor, St. Stephen’s Day is often the day for giving food, money and other items to servants, service workers, and the needy (it is known as Boxing Day in England).

Today is also the 2nd day of Christmas. Two turtles doves and all that. If you believe that the song originally was written for Christian instruction (which is a charming thought for me), the two turtle doves symbolize the Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God’s self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

Another interesting thing….today is Hanukkah. Since the Jewish holidays start the night before at sunset, technically it started last night. While the institution of Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Bible, Jesus was in the temple during the celebration. John 10:22 talks about the Feast of Dedication, and Jesus’ presence there. The Feast of Dedication is the 8 day festival of lights that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucids (better known to us as Hanukkah). This whole festival is an interesting topic for another day, but suffice it to say, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, He brought a much greater light to the hungry souls waiting for deliverance.

Merry Christmas to Me!

That title sounds a little egocentrical, doesn't it? I've been trying to "re-do" Christmas at my house, attempting to change the focus from how many presents are under the tree to what is truly meaningful in life. And then my first blog title is all about me!

But it isn't really. It's just that this blog is something I've been thinking about for a while. And as I start it this holiday season, I realize that I've just given an incredible gift to myself.

We will be leaving Garmisch in a matter of weeks. When I think of the friends to whom I'll be saying good-bye, my heart aches. When I think of the conversations in which I'll no longer be participating, I mourn the loss in advance. In some ways I want to stop time. I want to grab certain moments and hold tightly to them, squeezing each word and gesture tightly to my breast, because a time is coming when it will be over. I know that I have moments to look forward to. I have delightful things on the horizon that I'm already excited about. But this place is special. And I will miss it.

So this is a small attempt to stop time. Or at least fool it a little bit. Those of you that I love and are missing in advance, please continue sharing your thoughts with me. May the discussions we've had over tea continue in cyber-space. And those of you who have moved on before me, welcome back to my table! Those of you who have never shared a cup, please join us now.

Here's the disclaimer. I'm all about God. He's the central focus of my life. He's the focus of this blog. May He bless each of you, and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Kaye