Hospitality: Mission in the Ordinary

Hospitality is an industry! It is s specialty. You can get a four year degree in Hospitality, become an expert and make lots of money in your craft. I was on a business trip last week in Denver, meeting with the National Committee on Church Planting. I was staying in the Hotel Indigo and, as I was checking in, was told they had no reservation for me. I admit, I was a little miffed. The lady at the desk, however, took a lot of time to say, “Mr. Holland, we will do everything we can to make sure we find or make room for you.” She then got her boss, who checked her records and, sure enough, she had a room for everyone but me! However, she told me not to worry, she would handle the situation. At this point, another desk clerk got involved and within 20 minutes I had a room. For the next two days, everyone who was involved in this mess would greet me by my first name and ask me if everything was okay. Here, I thought, is the secret sauce of hospitality as an art and craft. This group of workers took a situation that could have given them a black eye and, by taking the time, calling me by name, made me feel welcome!While that is a great story about the hospitality industry (which we don’t usually see), it does not really speak to real hospitality. It sort of gives us the impression, as I said earlier, that hospitality is a “specialty,” a “craft,” something only certain people in certain industries are to give themselves to. This Sunday, we will again try to deconstruct the prevailing beliefs about hospitality and see that, in the final analysis, hospitality is the way God does mission, the way he turns outsiders into insiders, puts the lonely in families, and gives people their humanity and a seat at the table. To do this, we have to talk about one of my favorite subjects—food! Why? Because Jesus, who had three years to change the world, didn’t start any programs or ministry initiatives or give any grand schemes of ministry—He just ate meals with people. Sometimes he was guest, sometimes he was host––it didn’t matter. Jesus took the most basic thing common to everyone’s humanity and turned it into the focal point of his early ministry. And in this ordinary, simple, and yet subversive daily ritual, managed to change the world. He then says something like this: I want your parties to look like mine! I can’t wait to dig into this tasty meal!Blessings,Jim