“The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”
(Luke 14:12-14 The Message)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
(Hebrews 13:2)
“I was discipled by a Jewish Hippie!” George told our TMC cohort during our first retreat together. He described the profound impact a Jewish elementary school teacher had on him while growing up in the Bronx. His description resonated with me as we discussed the surprising experiences and people God brings into our lives to mentor us, inspire us, and guide us.
Some of the people we shared about exhibited a deep understanding of the Christian faith, others a spirituality and faith without the terms, protocols, or structures that have often been associated with religious people. It was an endearing and tear-inducing discussion that reminded us all that Christ comes into our world in many forms, sometimes even in the least likely and most unpredictable ways.
The conversation reminded me of the description of the “Zoo Tavern” that a colleague gave as she confessed how she found herself judging the place by its looks and clientele. She was a little ashamed that she had been so judgmental the first time she walked into the little dive bar. It was the only place open late enough to accommodate a crowd after 10 PM. The cast from the weekend production she was a part of chose this place. They had Karaoke, drinks, and enough space for everyone to wind down after the last show.
While the drinks were being prepared, my friend looked around and noticed the other patrons, which included someone belting out a tune at the Karaoke mic, singing like they were the star singer on a stage surrounded by hundreds of people in a 1950s nightclub. Their heart was in it and they drew everyone around them into their moment. There was a middle-aged black woman whose bedazzled baseball hat, along with her bedazzled cane, made her a sparkling sight for sore eyes. She shined like the disco light above the karaoke stage where she sat at the table. She had a personality to match, and she strutted to the microphone with a confidence that introverts admire, convincing the cast members to join her in a rendition of songs they knew and loved. The last group that captured her attention was the handful of octogenarians and nonagenarians at the corner table celebrating! Celebrating WHAT on a Friday night at a hole-in-the-wall bar just on the outskirts of town? Well … Turning 90, of course!!
This eclectic group of people who had gathered in this unlikely space were finding joy in the present moment, surprised by openness, meaning-making, and participating in something bigger than themselves. It was a gift they needed and a memory that taught my friend to leave judgement behind.
As we walk into this Holy Week, I pray that the unconditionally gracious God that we proclaim and worship helps us to remember to leave judgment behind this Easter. He died for all of us, the sinners, the saints, the proclaimers, and the disclaimers. Without judgment or concerns of this world, Jesus has made it known to all that he loves us all.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER FOR HOLY WEEK:
- How ready is your congregation to welcome a gathering of people you didn’t expect?
- What about my colleague’s experience at the “Zoo Tavern” might prove instructive for how we approach corporate worship and other gatherings?
- Describe a time when you caught yourselves being “judgmental” of people who don’t look like you, act like you, or even understand Jesus the way you do.
- In what ways has God discipled you through people that you would have never guessed God would use?
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