Widen the Circle

 

This outdoor gathering spot is like so many others in the neighborhood. It is located under the shade of a large tree. It consists of matching chairs and a table. It is convenient to a side door of the house, probably directly accessible to the kitchen.

But this particular spot captured my attention because of the flowers. The chairs were empty. No one was chatting. No one was reading. No one was having a cool drink before the day became too hot. Yet, the table was set with a plain vase of flowers. It was amazing how this simple touch created such a powerful sense of hospitality. I was drawn to this spot as if I was personally being welcomed, as if I belonged.

Jesus said, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

All people have a need to belong. All people have a desire to be welcomed and accepted. We are good at inviting those we already know. We are comfortable sharing life with those who look like us and think like us. But Jesus calls us to widen the circle of our hospitality. Jesus calls us to include those who are seldom included. Jesus calls us to set the table of our lives and to know the blessings others bring to us when we welcome all.

Peace.