Welcome, Wanted, & Worth the Trouble
“Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 (NIV)
Bruce and I moved to a small town in rural Alabama when our oldest child was only five weeks old. I cried when we moved there. Eight-years later, I wept when we left. I will always be grateful for the rich community, deep fellowship, and many friendships that we experienced there, especially in our new PCA church plant. Small group discipleship; rich Bible studies; countless potluck dinners; and generous hospitality were the norm, not the exception.
Last weekend I was privileged to speak at the Hope Reformed Church Women’s Retreat in Sutton, Nebraska, population 1509. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially since their requested topic was God’s Sovereignty in Our Suffering. That’s a pretty heavy topic for a women’s retreat, but Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am with them” (Matthew 18:20). Two or three gathered in His name are a quorum in God’s eyes and so I went trusting that God would bring whoever needed to be there.
Early Thursday morning, Bruce and I caught a 5 AM flight to Omaha, Nebraska, rented a car, and began our almost two-hour drive to Sutton. As Bruce started the car’s engine, I immediately heard a familiar voice coming from the car radio, “This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot. You are loved with an everlasting love and underneath you are the everlasting arms. Today we’re going to talk about what to do with your suffering.”
I started laughing and Bruce asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Only God,” I responded. “I’m going to talk about God’s sovereignty in our suffering and He just gave me a reality check to make a point. My first retreat takeaway is Red Sea Rule #1: God knows where I am and he means for me to be there. Most of my second session on suffering are insights I’ve learned through the years from Elisabeth Elliot! Bruce, God knows we’re in Nebraska and He means for us to be here.”
Arriving at the church later that evening, God kept meeting me where I was. Several women were busily decorating tables, arranging serving trays, and placing the finishing touches on the fellowship hall. One by one, I met the women and they began sharing their excitement over the upcoming event. Over forty women would be coming, including some women who were driving or flying in from South Dakota and Washington.
I couldn’t imagine how all these women wound up coming to Sutton, Nebraska. And once again the words “only God” came to my mind and heart. God didn’t just sovereignly know where I was; He also knew where each of them were too. I needed that truth throughout the weekend as tornadoes roared across the Midwest. 24 hours after our arrival, the Omaha airport sustained a direct tornado hit, suffered some damage, and was closed for several hours. I remembered Corrie ten Boom’s words from her excellent book The Hiding Place, “There are no ‘ifs’ in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety.”
Our entire weekend was filled with biblical hospitality and rich conversations as we shared food, fellowship, and small group discussions with these new friends. The Hope Reformed women showered me with their generosity, kindness, and thoughtfulness with such attention to detail. Each table featured an attractive bird centerpiece in honor of our newest granddaughter, Birdie James. These women gave me their undivided time and attention as we worked our way through each difficult session on God’s sovereignty, our suffering, and the importance of maintaining steadfast hope. Finally, they showered me with a large Nebraska hospitality gift bag that included two lovely birds from one of the table centerpieces.
Biblical hospitality is one of the many “one another” commandments found throughout the New Testament. It reaches out to those in need, meets people exactly where they are, and seeks to make them feel welcome, wanted, and worth the trouble. Biblical hospitality provides the gift of place and focuses on others rather than self. It requires us to open our hearts before we open the doors to our homes or churches.
Karen Mains writing in her classic hospitality book Open Heart, Open Home writes, "I have learned to measure the success of my efforts at hospitality against the measurement of this question; "Did something sacred occur over here in these rooms, around this table, in the moments of our meeting together?" And without a doubt, my answer to Mains' question is a resounding, "Yes!" The Hope Reformed women and I shared laughter, tears, and a lot of James Bruce stories. We also shared the hope of the Gospel, the security provided by God’s sovereignty, and the necessity of joyfully walking through our suffering. Together we gathered a lot of broken pieces and prayed that God would use them both for our good and for His glory (John 6:12).
Many thanks to Pastor Scott Henry, the Session, and the women of Hope Reformed Church for their kind invitation and biblical hospitality. Bruce and I definitely felt welcome, wanted and worth the trouble.
Information on my speaking engagements may be found here.