“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It’s about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”–Bread and Wine; Shauna Niequest
Have you ever experienced a place where you have felt these very words lived out? Where you truly feel loved, and accepted without exception? For me, I can think of a few places where I have seen this embodied. Through my friends who welcomed me into their home when I first moved to Minot. Through all the communities I am a part of especially the diaconal ministry community, #SlateSpeak and others. Through my friends who organized, planned and led #decolonize16. As I watched the livestream, I saw the ways in which everyone was being welcomed in with open arms.
I think so often it can be easy for us to get caught up in comparing ourselves to the other. Yet God calls us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” Too often we fail at that though, don’t we? We don’t always see our neighbors in ways in which they feel seen, heard, and loved. God calls us to fix that.
I am reminded of the text that was heard in worship this past Sunday “For those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Are we not called to be humble and show humility to one another? Just the other day, I saw this lived out on my Twitter feed. A friend made a comment on his Twitter feed that caused a lot of replies and comments. In realizing that he had struck a nerve with many, he rethought his words and apologized. This is one of the very things I appreciate and love about this friend. He embodies humility.
Humility=”a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness”
Who can you invite to your house; to your table; to create space for them to be seen and heard and loved? For in doing so, you embody the Word made flesh as you break bread together just as Christ broke bread with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. There is so much beauty when we sit down and break bread together; knowing we are indeed seen, heard, and loved in this broken world.
At the table, as the bread is broken and the wine is poured, the Word becomes flesh through fellowship where ALL are welcome; and ALL are seen, heard, and loved!
Beautiful! Simply beautiful, my friend!
Thank You!
I agree, it's so important to create space for people to feel seen, heard and loved.
Exactly!
Yes! We host a bi-monthly supper club. We started as a bunch of semi-strangers from church and in such a short time have become friends. (We even increased our meeting times from monthly to every two weeks!) Food certainly brings us together!
So cool! Love it!