Hospitality

What hospitality means seems simple enough: welcoming the other, welcoming the coming of the other into the same, into my house, for example. But when in fact we actually offer hospitality, whom do we typically invite? Our friends, of course, those whose company we enjoy and from whom we can expect reciprocity (the circle of exchange), or else people whose favor we are currying. Either way, we welcome only those who serve our please or our interests, which means tightening the circle of the same, not welcoming the other. One very good proof of this is that we depend on the discretion of those whome we incite not to broadcast it all over creation, lest others - the real others, in this case - that they were not invited. So there is a good deal of inhospitality built into our hospitality. We welcome those who are welcome to begin with, not those who are unwelcome. But if hospitality is what we say it is - that is, welcoming the other 0 then ought it not be a matter of welcoming those who are unwelcome? Should it not be extended beyond our neighbors to strangers? Beyond our friends to our enemies? Beyond the invited to the uninvited? In fact, is not the very act of invitation foreign to the idea of hospitality - genuine or unconditional hospitality - inasmuch as "inviting" is a selection process whereby one puts in place in advance a set of prior conditions under which the hospitality will be exercised?...

The word "hospitality" derives from hostis + posse..."hospitality means to welcome or admit the "hostis," which in latin means the stranger, who is the guest (of a "host" in a "hotel); but a hostis is sometimes the stranger who is alien or "hostile."

John Caputo, What Would Jesus Deconstruct? 78-79

Suits and tithes

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that here may be food in My house, test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need." Malachi 3:10

"At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the stranger, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do." -- Deuteronomy 14:28-29

The first verse gets thrown around a lot as a reason to tithe, but do we follow the second half? To "pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need." Is our tithe being used for the stranger? the orphan? the widow? For....NEED?

Or is it used solely for self-perpetuation? Salaries? Buildings? Savings?

Perhaps one of the greatest twistings of scriptures is the verse most often used on "stewardship day": the parable of the widow's mites. We are told we should be so willing to give our money that if we only have two mites we should give it.

This exposition misses the whole point of the parable. This parable is a condemnation on the institutions that allow a poor widow to give away her last two mites.

Modern subheadings obscure this in our Bibles, but let us not forget the verses preceding the parable:

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

On Christian Music

I often hear Christians talk about how "bad" Christian music is. Since moving to Spokane, I've had a longer commute, and I've had the chance to listen to a lot of Christian music. Quite frankly, a lot of it is quite good. Some of it is bad. Much of it is not appropriate for Sunday morning worship. But I would say half of it (give or take 10%) is of decent quality, and a lot of the music has good lyrics.

Sure, a lot of it is experientially-centered, but I can't deny that's part of the faith.

Join the Conspiracy

Hoarding what God has entrusted to us

I find an interesting parallel between the parable of the ten minas in St. Luke's gospel and the way the church does or doesn't use its talents and resources to be Jesus to the world.

We have basically the example of three types of stewardship, all of which I have seen played out in different Christians lives.

1. We have the example of the servant who takes one and makes ten. Here is that Christian: when faced by the opportunity to serve, he will entrust himself to God's care, abandoning himself to serving God.

2. We have the servant who takes one and makes five, showing us the example of one who serves more cautiously but still serves his Lord using what God has given him to further the Kingdom.

3. And last we have the servant who is paralyzed by his view of his Master, thinking of Him as a severe man who takes those things others have worked for. This servant is not only focused on the aspect of his Master in His capacity as judge of the wrongdoer, but thinking of the King as a common man and not as the protector and enabler of His subjects, rightly requiring the increase.

How often do we sit around and speculate about what God would have us do to the exclusion of doing anything? Why is it so hard to abandon ourselves to serving our God with all He has given us?

I suspect that part of our apathy is due to the fact that we view God in a human frame and not as the One who gives all and asks for that which we can joyfully give of the abundance He has given us, and partly because we have forgotten the story of the rich man and Lazarus and the examples of St. Martin, St. Brigit, St. Francis and St. Clare, Dr. Livingstone, R.G. LeTourneau, Mother Theresa of Calcutta and so many others.

So what gifts and talents has God given you? How are you using them to glorify Him and further His Kingdom?

Christians and Pessimism

I remember going to FCA Sports Camp in Estes Park, Colorado, once when I was in junior high school. They had a memory verse:

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

As I work with different charities, non-profits, and churches, it often seems like Christians have the least amount of hope. This may be because I have a critical eye when it comes to my brothers and sisters, but I think it's partially general pessimism among Christians.

Where I work, I provide a service (education) that many low-income people can take advantage of for free. This service helps get people into better jobs, with sustainable wages. The problem is that many people, usually Christians, have a fear that the financial aid we offer won't apply to them. It may not, but does that mean they shouldn't check it out?

The non-Christians are much more hopeful that they can do something with their lives. I have yet to have a non-Christian stop halfway through the application process before even finding out his financial aid.

What is this? Negative eschatology? Are the Christians waiting to be raptured out of their suffering?

Spokane Pastors

I've probably met close to a hundred pastors in Spokane, if not more. I've noticed a trend. The more personable, wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve pastors almost always follow a parish model. The more formal that a pastor's personality is, the more likely he will pastor a congregation that commutes for worship.

I wonder about this trend. My inclination is to say this is a difference between idea/doctrine-focused ministries and service focused ministries, and that a congregation very much reflects its pastor.