That is Good News
Listen…Over the past month, we have been exploring the depths of the Gospel. For many of us (myself included), the Good News - that we may have heard so many times before - came alive again and ignited a desire to have others experience how good the Father is.
This week’s sermon revealed the strongholds that hold us back from living fully into the community that God has promised us. We have inherited the bondage of materialism, individualism, and/or tribalism. Yet, God mercifully offers us a simple way to live against the grain of those strongholds into the fullness and beauty of the community that He created us for. That simple thing is...hospitality.
To me, a lousy housekeeper BEFORE I had four children, Peter’s words, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9) did NOT sound like good news. It sounded exhausting and honestly...IMPOSSIBLE!
But, God’s word is clear here...and thankfully, He also promises “nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). So I figured I might as well give it a try.
Well, if quarantine has taught me anything, it has taught me this: hospitality is NOT just about opening your home. It is about opening your life. For several months over the last year, very few people crossed our threshold. Yet, it was a year that was rich with connection and community. While we used to practice hospitality by making space in our home (shoving closets full of the clutter that we tend to create through the week), now we practice hospitality by making space in our lives by the sacred act of listening.
In some ways, creating space by listening well is more difficult than the 10 second tidy before guests show up. There are no closet doors to hold back awkward jokes, insecure babbling, or intruding thoughts. So we embrace those as part of the messiness of being together and move on with grace for one another.
Asking thoughtful questions, making eye contact, listening to understand rather than answer...there are tons of tips and tricks for listening well. It’s only through practice that we become better listeners, and as we are growing in this way, we are experiencing a little more community...and THAT is Good News.
-Randi
Randi Banning is married to Jairus, and they live in Cortland with their four children. Randi serves on the Regen Oversight Team and co-leads the Regen Care Team.
