The Divine Art of Making Room

Yesterday’s Daily Office included John’s account of the calling of Nathaniel as a disciple. It’s a great scene: Nathaniel has been skeptical about Jesus’ background before meeting him, but Jesus greets him so perfectly, he knows he’d been expected. When Nathaniel then sheepishly asks Jesus how he knew about him, Jesus answers, basically, “I saw you before I called you.” Jesus does his research and then gives him such an overwhelmingly personal welcome that the boy immediately recognizes him as the Messiah. That’s just Jesus’ way. He sees us before we see him, and he chooses the perfect welcome with which to greet us. Jesus then follows that up with, “I can’t wait to show you all the other things you’re longing to see.” Nathaniel’s jaw drops, along with mine.In the same Daily Office, we read from Psalm 145: “The eyes of all look upon you and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Have you ever been invited to a dinner where it seemed like every detail was attuned to your finest sensibilities? I am occasionally a part of a dinner party where the host takes great pains to find out what the expected guests would like and crafts every detail to accommodate them. The right atmosphere, fellow guests, food, drinks, conversation… It’s a rare and humbling experience.Many people in this world would have to pay for that kind of finely tuned hospitality or else do without: hospitality is a multi-billion dollar industry, after all. But Jesus’ family does things differently. Another reading from that same Daily Office was from Acts, chapter 4, where Peter says, “If you’re asking me to account for such radical kindness, it’s all about Jesus.” Peter then writes in his first letter that the best – and maybe only – way to do evangelism is to live in such a hospitable way that people knock down your door trying to find out how to explain it.It’s the Divine Art of Making Room, and we can’t wait to welcome you all to the Table this weekend as we explore this new series on hospitality, which may just prove to be the house keys to Kingdom.- Josh