Welcoming God's Bearers of Love

This being human is a guest house. / Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, / some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor. / Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, / who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture, / still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out / for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, / meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes, / because each has been sent / as a guide from beyond.
—Rumi

A few weeks ago, I shared this poem with you during worship.  “This being human is a guest house. . . .”  These words remind me that we never know where, when, how, or who will show up in our lives as divine agents of grace and goodness, love and hope.  So, in every moment, we are called to be open and receptive—welcoming even the least likely bearers of kindness, compassion, and wisdom.  Even now, there are unexpected blessings trying to find a way into our lives—trying to illuminate us, transform us, guide us.  But often, we crowd out the possibilities of these blessings—opting to fill any holes in our lives with more stuff or busyness or surface skimming.  What if we went deeper?  What if we expected more?  What if we set aside fear and distrust and insisted on seeing the best in one another?  What if we insisted on lifting up the gifts and graces of each person we meet no matter what?  How might this way of approaching the world make a difference in places like Ferguson?  Or Gaza?  On the Mexico border?  On the streets of Vallejo?  Around our own dining room tables?  I hope you will join me in thinking about ways to welcome the unexpected bearers of God’s incredible guidance and gifts.  They surround us every day and invite us toward something new. . . .

See you in church,
Christy