My home has been filled with people over the last two days; yesterday, Jo and Jon's final day as sixth form students their few friends coming over turned out to be 30 friends...
They chilled out, cooked and ate 10 pizzas plus various other stuff, and generally enjoyed hanging out together... it was good to have a house full of laughing joyful 18 year ODs...
... a couple stayed the night... they like sleeping on our sofas apparently!
Today Paul ( my eldest son) and his girlfriend and her three children came over for the evening, the girls, 8,5 &2 are delightful, it was really good to have them here... I got to play granny!!! (better check the hair dye situation tomorrow..)...my one sadness is that I don't get to see my actual granddaughter, but we hope once the court case etc are dealt with that situation will change, until then we will be content with waiting...
All this busyness has got me thinking... we have always had an open home, a home where folk are welcome at any time- it is a take us as you find us thing- at times it can be tiring, but it is a calling- we don't do fancy parties or dinners, but can usually stretch to an extra plate or two of whatever is going, and we can usually find a spare quilt/ sleeping bag if there is a need... this is a gift of low key hospitality... and I think it is appreciated by those who come.... but it can be really hard work at times....
... and I wonder how the the church extends hospitality- are visitors made to feel welcome when they walk into our worship services, or do they feel uncomfortable and ill at ease?
How far should we adopt a take us as you find us approach, and what might this mean?
How do we guard against cliquishness amongst ourselves, or at the other extreme the over stated welcome that makes folk want to run a mile?
Can and should a church become an open home?
