#13: Hospitality

Once again, I find that life in the hermitage requires some adjustments to the Understandings of the Lindisfarne Community.  To illustrate, I will quote #13 in its entirety:

"We are committed to hospitality, receiving others as they are; who they are in Christ. Our service is through our homes, with common meals, caring hospitality, as we extend family and friendship. In the breaking of bread, sharing our food, we recognize Jesus amongst us; in entertaining strangers we welcome angels."

With great regard for the ministry of hospitality, one of the realizations that led to the desire to call my home a hermitage was the recognition that having people over on a frequent or regular basis often felt like an invasion, something that, while good and admirable in itself, did not fit the life I was feeling called to establish at the Wild Goose hermitage.

So -- how do I entertain the angels God has given me?  Mostly by cooking for the Interfaith student group that I work with at my college.  We meet once a week, and their schedules are so tight that for some of them there's no time to get supper either before or after the meeting.  So I bring a casserole, or spring for pizza, or bring the ingredients for sandwiches.  Once in a while I'll hear that this was their only meal that day.  Often I'll hear that having something home-cooked is a treat, even when my cooking skills are lacking.  One student asks me to adopt her every time I make dinner. And we begin meetings by sharing bread and letting the others know "where we're at" for that week, or that day.  My husband usually bakes the bread.

They are very much Christ in the midst of daily life for me, even though few of them would call themselves Christian.  That's ok.  I am grateful that they come, and happy to provide a space of welcome and warmth for them each week.  We are no longer strangers to each other, we are friends, colleagues, family, and cheering squad to each other.  

This ministry may not take place in my home, but perhaps it can be seen as an extension of the definition of "home."  With these young adults we create a space that is home for a while, where we are nurtured, fed, and prepared to go back out.  Blessings -- to them and to all.