Guy’s Easter Blog
The morning is crisp, the sun shining, and our road is deserted apart from two Christian friends opposite setting up a loudspeaker and one properly cleansed microphone on a stand. They had invited every neighbour to “church on the street”. An hour later Heather and I nervously cross the street to welcome, to sing, to listen and celebrate the Easter story. Twenty to thirty folk somewhat slowly shuffle to the end of their drives as we sing out an Easter hymn, then share a reading a testimony, then pray for each person in their homes to know the one who came to rescue and save. There were tears as we played a recording of “the blessing” to finish. Talking, socially distanced, to folk afterwards was very moving, people wanting to know more, people saying we must do more as a community, share our lives more after we unlock, tell our journeys and stories.
As we approach this Easter season, I am aware that most drawbridges have gone back up and the flags of self-sufficiency fly once more over the castles of our homes. My challenge to myself and all of us is: Can we lower our drawbridge to welcome both the stranger or neighbour into our homes and break with the spirit of self-sufficiency? How and where do we begin?
Let me suggest hospitality. The God of the bible is outrageously hospitable and calls his sons and daughters to express our love for him in this family trait. Jesus draws our attention to types of hospitality in Luke 7, in a Pharisee’s home, where hospitality is more about the giver than the guest. We invite people at a specific time, expect a certain decorum and appreciation, we show off our new kitchen and woe betide anyone who overstays their welcome. At a moment of religious politeness, a “sinful woman” crashes the party, and weeps, wipes, kisses and anoints Jesus’ feet with perfume. The religious grind their teeth in anger and react judgementally. Jesus, however, sees this as the perfect opportunity to teach, with the woman being exhibit number one of what it means to be forgiven.
Hospitality is about love, extravagant love, that puts others at the centre of your home and focus so they might know and experience just the smallest of taste of how much God loves and cares for them. It looks like throwing a party for a homeless girl or opening your spare room to receive a Ukrainian refugee, maybe an Easter tea party with tons of cakes for every single mum in your block of flats. You get the picture; it is treating others as God in Christ has treated us. This Easter we celebrate the bridge that was lowered from heaven to earth and the free invitation to sinners to come home. What a glorious day when our sins were washed away, and we are brought home as prodigal sons and daughters and invited to his table.
Let me encourage you this Easter to make the invite, lower the drawbridge and do something extravagant for someone who might never repay you. Happy Easter!
