When the young adults (post-high school through twenty-somethings) gathered for the Road Less Traveled on October 1st, Andrew Spidahl shared some of his life during our worship time. Talking about his bike trip from Asia to Europe before seminary, he blew us away with the stories of hospitality he experienced along the way.
Just a few days later I had the chance to see friends from the East coast who were in town for denominational meetings. One of them is leading her church through a book called, Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us by Christine Pohl. One of the four practices she lifts up is practicing hospitality.
When the consistory met in October the theme of hospitality came up again. This time the context was how we do or don’t make space for people at Hope Church with vastly different perspectives on how our faith should influence our political action. You know what’s coming: when the same theme shows up three times in ten days, I pay attention!
As we move into the month of November, a month that ends with a national holiday set aside for the purpose of giving thanks, my mind is drawn back to something my friend shared from the book her church is reading. One of the practices she highlighted was hospitality as I mentioned but another one – the first one in fact – is embracing gratitude as a way of life. I haven’t read the book but the title of that chapter has stayed with me. In fact, I suspect that embracing gratitude as a way of life leads quite organically toward a deeper practice of hospitality.
Here’s the connection in my mind: paying attention. Close attention. I have found that when I pay attention to the details of life I am naturally drawn toward gratitude. When I am rushing about and flitting from thing to thing with little conscious attention to the details around me – I miss things. I miss the thoughtful gesture of a person reaching out to me. I miss the beauty of a stubborn flower that still blooms next to a tree that has burst into color. And when I miss those things, my mind tends to stay with my own pressing agenda and anxious thoughts.
Gratitude requires slowing down and paying attention. And when I slow down and pay attention; when I notice the details of life that inspire me to give thanks, I also notice other things as well. I notice the subtle tone of voice that signals a person in pain. I notice the person who holds a different perspective from mine with their arms stiffly crossed who needs some space to tell their story and voice their conviction. When I listen closely to what that person has to say, I find some gifts I might have missed if I had not opened the door. Gratitude as a way of life naturally leads to the offering of hospitality. The two go hand in hand.
I find myself thinking about this coming season of Thanksgiving with some slightly different expectations. I am taking it as an invitation to go deeper in cultivating gratitude as a way of life. I look forward to seeing where it leads me, and I invite you to join me if you wish. I’d love to hear your stories along the way.
With deep gratitude for all of you,
Pastor Jill