Tag: christianity

He’s good for it

I hope you’ve had a good week. As I write this I have two children and a husband all sick in bed. So it’s one of those cosy-up-and-cancel-everything sort of days.

Speaking of being ill, I don’t know if I told you that last year I travelled to the USA and ended up in hospital on the first day. The long haul flight with a layover in Chicago was too much for my weak body to cope with. I spent 2 to 3 hours in A&E and ended up with bills of around $3000.

Of course, we had travel insurance! So all’s fine, yes?

No.

We spent the next five months trying to wrangle the travel insurance company into reimbursing us for the costs. It was very time consuming! And frustrating, and difficult, and quite sad.

Why so difficult? Here’s the reason: The travel insurance company did not want to give us any money.

I know, it’s shocking isn’t it? Surely that’s their job? Isn’t that why we get insurance? These are questions my children innocently ask. But the truth is, it seems that although they’ve ‘promised’ to cover your medical bills, they don’t actually want to do it. It was with reluctance that they eventually paid us what they owed.

But I’m not really here to complain about that! Nor will I tell you which insurance company it was. What I will say is that sometimes I act like God is that reluctant insurance company. He’s made promises, sure, but he doesn’t want to have to fulfil them. He’s hoping I’ll never need him to. But sadly I need him to bail me out again, and again, and again.

Need forgiveness? Again?
Need strength for today? Again?
Need courage? Again?

Of course, Hallelujah! God is not like an insurance company. Zechariah told us so, while the Saviour was in Mary’s womb:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74     that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Luke 1:68-75

(I’ve quoted Luke 1 in the ESV, not primarily because it’s Extremely Sound but because this is the version we have memorised thanks to Randall Goodgame at Slugs and Bugs. Memorising Scripture is one of the best things to do in the world and scripture songs make it easy. Thank you, Lord! Amen.)

In verses 70 and 72-3 Zechariah celebrates with JOY the fact that God is keeping his promises. “As he spoke…” “to remember his holy covenant…” “The oath he swore…”

Christmas is about God keeping his promise to save his people. All through Scripture, he’s been promising to do it. And now he’s done it, in a better and more beautiful way than anyone would have asked or imagined.

He doesn’t do things reluctantly. He loves to keep his promises to his people.

So now we can serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness. We get to do that! Only because he’s saved us.

You can hold God to his promises today. He’s ready and willing!

Last year around Christmas time we were able to celebrate the insurance company finally giving in and giving us $3000. But every Christmas we have something SO MUCH better to celebrate!

So let’s get on with it!

Seven Myths about Hospitality

Can you remember a time when you were on the receiving end of some generous hospitality? I bet you can. Hospitality can cover a range of things, and I believe that Christian hospitality is about showing the welcome to others that the Lord has shown us. Put another way, we move towards people, because our God has moved towards us. Often those receiving a warm welcome will remember it fondly, long after the person offering it has forgotten all about it.

Is your Sunday church gathering welcoming? I hope so. That’s a form of hospitality. But if we look in the Bible, I think it’s clear that we’re expected to open our homes to people and share with them, as a way of showing them love. There are some people who cannot do this – but not many. So assuming you are like most people, I want to encourage you by sharing seven myths I think we often wrongly believe about hospitality.

When I searched ‘Hospitality’ on Biblegateway, it came up with seven times the word is used in the New Testament. Coincidence? (Yep.) So I’ve interspersed my ‘myths’ with quotes about hospitality, so you can see for yourself. (NB: Myths and quotes not necessarily especially related!)

Note that a couple of people are commended in God’s word for their hospitality. What an honour! God must think it’s worth mentioning.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

  1. You have to be good at baking
    I think I used to believe this, but it is frankly ridiculous. There’s nothing in God’s word about having to be good at cooking or baking. People in the Bible did work hard at it, as far as I can tell. However, they didn’t have the mod cons we’ve got. As my mam says, ‘Grandma used to say that homemade is always best, but she didn’t shop at M&S.’

    Having said that, I do think that the more love and time we invest in getting good at making something to bless people with, the more we’ll enjoy sharing it with those people. There is something special about eating something that someone has lovingly prepared with their own hands, even if it’s chocolate crispy cakes. (I’ve decided they’re one of my all-time favourite cakes, by the way. Give me an easter nest over a swanky French macaron any day of the year.)

But if you hate baking, don’t have the equipment, or don’t have time, then shop-bought with joy is still an absolute delight.

2. You have to entertain
As far as I can tell, entertaining is a performance. I’m showing my guests what I can do. That means that if they perform well for me when I go to their home, I’m obliged to perform just as well – or hopefully better! – when they visit me.

This is a lot of pressure. It’s also quite self-serving, when you really stop to think about it. If my aim is to impress my guests, and even make them feel inferior, then I’m not loving them. When we’re inviting people into our home, we’re not putting on a show: we’re inviting them to join in with something beautiful, which is a household living by God’s grace. “Come and see,” we’re saying to them. “The Lord is good.”

Even if you’re ‘entertained’ by someone else, why not try inviting them over and just serving them selflessly? If your home is small and scruffy compared to theirs, it’s an opportunity to boast in Christ. He’s all we need in our homes to have a good time.

No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. 1 Timothy 5:9-10

3. You have to have money and space
Hospitality does cost money, there’s no denying it. But God knows our means. He can use what I offer up in hospitality and bless people with it. Inviting someone in for a hot drink is probably something we can all afford to do. You could even ask them to bring the biscuits! (Shop-bought is fine.)

Let’s remember that the early church were poor. If God can enable them to be hospitable then he can certainly do it for us. We can pray and ask God to multiply our food so we have enough. We can put others first and see how the Lord provides everything we need.

Don’t underestimate the power of simple, humble hospitality offered in faith.

I’ve written before about how blessed I’ve been when people with very little space have invited me into their home. Not to put down anyone with lots of space, but when someone in a tiny one bedroom flat invites my entire family over for dinner, it’s the kind of humble, Christ-like selflessness that sticks with me.

We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. 3 John 1:8

4. It’s a cultural thing
Some cultures are more hospitable than others. I recently visited a country which is known for its hospitality. I’m also northern, where people tend to pop round for a cup of tea without warning. But now I live in London, which is known for being inhospitable and where you have to book cups of coffee weeks in advance. So yes, hospitality is a cultural thing.

But the Kingdom of God is a hospitable culture. Our King welcomes anyone! So if we live in a community – like London – that’s not hospitable, it’s really easy for us to shine like stars by opening our homes to others. And if you’re not from a background that values hospitality, then you can rejoice! The Holy Spirit has made you new. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our family and friends noticed how much more welcoming we’re becoming, year after year?

[Publius] welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. Acts 28.7

5. You have to be an extrovert
It’s great that people nowadays are often aware of how they’re energised, whether it’s by being alone or being with others. But God doesn’t command just the extroverts to practise hospitality. And he also knows us and what we need.

We all need to be around people, whether we find it draining or not. And remember that being hospitable doesn’t mean you have to be the life and soul of the party. You can go and wash the dishes while everyone else chats, if that’s what you need to do.

I’m not trying to burden anyone, but just as extroverts need time alone, praying and reading God’s word, so introverts need to spend time with other people, loving and serving them. And the Lord is so kind – he thwarts our plans when they would do us harm! (He’s cancelled many of my plans which in hindsight would’ve tipped me over the edge!)

Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Romans 16:23

6. It’s just not for me.
Some people will find hospitality comes naturally to them and others won’t. Some people find prayer easier than others. Some people are naturally joyful and positive; others aren’t. But we’re all called to joy, prayer and hospitality. I do know some people who actually can’t invite people over for different reasons. But there are other ways to be hospitable, and I’ve seen these people find creative ways to show hospitality. You can invite people out for coffee or food. You can organise a social. You can invite yourself over to someone’s house and offer to cook. These are all ways to move towards people with love.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12-13

7. It’s not important
Satan hates hospitality. If you don’t believe me, invite some people over. See how many ways you’re tempted to sin against your guests, your family, and anyone else who you come across. Or see how the thing you’ve cooked thirty-seven times before collapses or gets dropped. Or notice how plans have to be cancelled and rearranged over and over.

God’s word says, “How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133.1
I’m convinced that hospitality is one way that unity is nurtured and maintained. Remember that the early church”devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2.42. 
As we eat and drink with people, we’re either sharing fellowship or inviting people into the fellowship they could have in Christ. We’re imitating our generous God to those who know him or those who don’t. Satan hates this and the Lord loves it. Don’t underestimate it.

So if you consider yourself a pretty hospitable person or if you’ve never tried it – please be encouraged. Put on the armour of God and go out there and take the next step.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Further reading: ‘Extraordinary Hospitality (For Ordinary People)‘ – read my thoughts on it here. Also ‘The Ministry of a Messy House’ by Amanda Robbie is a classic I keep coming back to.

Just Be Honest

“How’s your week been?”

This is a question we get asked at church. It’s a good question! I wonder how you feel about answering it? It might depend on who is asking and whether they seem genuinely interested.

Sometimes your week has been so terrible that you’re not sure if you can talk about it, or whether the person innocently asking the question is ready to hear it.

I recently asked someone how their week had been and he said, “It’s been a really hard week.” Then he told me something really upsetting that had happened. I felt really sorry for him but I was so glad he actually gave me an honest answer!

Depending on what kind of church you go to, you may or may not feel comfortable expressing deep emotions in church. It might be that you can be totally honest with your church family, especially those closest to you. You might not feel that you have to put on a brave face for church and tell people “God is good” even when you’re feeling crushed. But sadly many Christians do. And if believers are not prepared for the reality of suffering, they may even walk away when things get really tough.

That’s why I love this book.

‘Just Be Honest’ is written for Christians who are hurting and for those who know someone who is.

Clint Watkins is very honest about his own experience of losing a child and how he struggled with God and with the weight of the grief. He gives us, from Scripture, permission to wrestle with the Lord, and to struggle. Many years ago my pastor said to me, ‘struggle is a sign of life.’ Dead things don’t struggle. Struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing. It’s a normal part of the Christian life:

God welcomes his people to worship through tears and pray without pretending. Aches, questions, and tears are a heritage of faith handed down to us through the generations. We belong to a legacy of lament. p.18

God’s people have always suffered. This book helps us to be honest about it and take our pain to the One who can heal us.

As well as being honest with God, this book is also about being honest with each other. He addresses those who need support and how they should let others in, as well as those who want to help but don’t know what to say and don’t want to say the wrong thing. He gives practical advice as well as spiritual encouragement, drawing on his own experiences:

This is the simple power of Christlike compassion. Show up. Shed tears. Lament, listen and love. p.143

Even while I was reading this book, I had several conversations with people where the words of the book came to mind. I suppose one reason for this is that, when you really stop to look around, there are people struggling and suffering everywhere. Yes, this is a wonderful, beautiful world. Yes, we have the victory in Jesus! Hallelujah!

But we’re also in the world that’s blighted by sin and Satan. We’re in the world where hopes are dashed, sickness thwarts and death separates. So we need books like this to help us shed God’s grace and light onto the path when grief or trauma is blocking the view and our loved ones can’t see a way forward. And when we’re the ones struggling, we need to go to the One with whom we can and must be truly honest.

Our grief was not ours alone to bear. Through lament, our friends and family took hold of our heartache. They made our sorrows their own. Our questions became their questions. Our groans became their groans. Their cries on our behalf resounded: we were not alone. p.113