The hospitality of vulnerability
Becca Messman's view of hospitality changed after ministering to a young, dying woman who lived with one foot in heaven and one on earth.
Hospitality brings to mind bone china plates, lace-edged tablecloths and Grandma’s silver service, gleaming after someone (probably you) applied a soft cloth, a baking soda paste and elbow grease. According to dictionary.com, hospitality is “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” Through the lens of Christianity, hospitality is expansive; the table an endless serving of God’s love. What does it look like to say “yes” to the stranger, the “other” — particularly when lives and futures are at stake? What do you learn about God’s infinite hospitality when you, inevitably, become “the other,” and someone must decide whether to say “yes” to you?
Becca Messman's view of hospitality changed after ministering to a young, dying woman who lived with one foot in heaven and one on earth.
In "Somehow," Anne Lamott gives us reason to trust in the God whose love is the greatest of all.
"Anyone who desires to rediscover the beauty, complexity, humanity, and revelation within the words of Genesis would do well to allow [Marilyn] Robinson to be their guide," writes Darin Nettleton.
"It’s an excellent resource for individuals or groups who may have been wounded by a religious community, or for wandering, wondering folk who may know nothing about Christian faith…" — Lucy Forster-Smith
Richard Dubose discovers the vulnerability that settled in with the pandemic allowed Montreat staffers to understand what authentic and faithful hospitality includes.
Invitations to other denominations isn’t enough. Instead, Joel Winchip believes, finding the strengths – and weaknesses – we all see in our ministries can help us serve more people.
While lost in the once familiar New York City, Johanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos found two women who offered guidance and protection to the wandering stranger.
Showing up and saying yes, even when – especially when – we don’t know where that answer will lead, is a major lesson in Christian hospitality, say Colleen Earp and Clayton Rascoe.
Writer Alejandra Oliva meditates on preparing feasts for friends — and strangers.
In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation.
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on hospitality from the perspective of her local hospital's emergency waiting room.
Susan Hudson and Veda Shaheen Gill discuss the radical hospitality in Pakistan.
A poem about a man who would take walks by Andrew Taylor-Troutman.
There's what we can't see, writes Dartinia Hull, and there is what we don't see.
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