Radical Hospitality
May is a month of change for me. It's a time when school is winding down and summer plans are being made. The mild spring weather is giving way to the heat of summer. Additionally, the church is transitioning from Eastertime to the celebration of Pentecost. This year within the United Methodist Church, we find ourselves in the midst of transitioning from a season of exclusion, schism, and separation into a season of healing, hope, and inclusion as General Conference concludes towards the beginning of this month. The fact that Pentecost is in the very center of May this year in a time of such vital transitions. I find it comforting that one of the most important aspects is that at Pentecost, it reminds us of the all-inclusive hospitality, inclusion, and welcome of God to the world. Pentecost was not just a time when God's word was expressed and communicated openly in every tongue. Pentecost was a broadening or opening of the Kingdom of God to every tribe, nation, and people. It was the moment we saw God's embrace of all who had been kept at a distance due to their race, ailment, or practices. It is when the Holy Spirit flung wide the gates of God's mercy, love, and grace and announced that all are welcome!
In the book Hospitality and the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices, and the Neighbor, Amos Young explores how Pentecost inaugurates a new era in which the Holy Spirit empowers believers to embrace the 'Other' as neighbor. At Pentecost, we see that hospitality is not just a human practice; it is a divine imperative rooted in God's own hospitality towards humanity. The Spirit's work at Pentecost enables believers to transcend cultural, social, and religious barriers in their practice of hospitality. Yong shares that Pentecost teaches us that genuine hospitality involves not just welcoming those like us but also embracing those who are different, marginalized, or in need. Today, we live in a world marked by division and hostility; Christians are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be ambassadors of reconciliation, extending hospitality to all. Through the practice of hospitality, Christians can bear witness to the transformative power of God's love and grace in the world.
How is God calling you to join in this radical holy hospitality in your current relationships? Are you willing to trust the Holy Spirit and attempt to be in a relationship with people unlike you? Is there a person or group of people that have been ignored or marginalized in your community that you can attempt to be the image of God's radical inclusion and hospitality? Are you really willing to trust the Holy Spirit?