I've got a door sign in my bedroom which says, "Welcome Lovely You!"
Every so often I consider putting it on our front door...
Every so often I consider putting it on our front door...
This weekend we've had some house guests. There's a recurring theme when people come to stay - it's not always immediately obvious why they're here. On Friday, it was a housemate's friend and a girl he knew from France. She'd brought us an array of gifts, including salad servers and a kitchen thermometer. He'd brought us a Lindt Chocolate Bunny.
This morning I woke up to find lots of people half asleep in our living room and conservatory. I also found that our kitchen was filled with smoke because someone had forgotten about the toast they'd put under the grill.
Every so often I contribute to this chaos - friends coming to stay when they've got job interviews, or flights to Europe early the next morning - but it's struck me how great it is to have an open house that people are always welcome to. We must have had over thirty house guests this year, and it's been a fun experience meeting, greeting and hosting a variety of people.
I'm a firm believer in the benefits of community; and it often saddens me that as housemates, we don't do more together because of our crazy schedules. But one thing we're all keen on is letting people come to stay. It's not always delightfully fun; sometimes it's too noisy, messy or risky (I'm thinking of the toast incident here), but it's one way that we can serve God and create community where we live.
Sometimes I complain and grumble when our house is messy. But it's about love, and what better way to love our neighbours (and friends...) by letting people crash, shower and have somewhere they can be welcomed, whether for an evening, a week or longer...
"Welcome: be glad to entertain (someone) or receive (something)"
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