“The movement from hostility to hospitality is hard and full of difficulties. Our society seems to be increasingly full of fearful, defensive, aggressive people anxiously clinging to their property and inclined to look at their surrounding world with suspicion, always expecting an enemy to suddenly appear, intrude and do harm. But still—that is our vocation: to convert the hostis into a hospes, the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced.”
Have you read the book of Acts lately? Let us give you a quick snapshot:
The first generation of church was cranking along, numbers being added daily. It says that they got to 3000 people — not a gathering of 3000 together in one place, but 3000 gathering together in smaller groups all over the city.
Where were they? This was well before the days of church-buildings and hall-hires. They were in upstairs-food-halls and each others homes.
Archaeological findings show us that they literally knocked out walls to make room for everyone.
People who weren’t meant to be together in society were in the same room and beginning to call each other brother and sister. They were a community of enemies and strangers who were becoming friends and family.
They were the people who were making room for anyone.
Making Room is our new message series, exploring this kind of Biblical hospitality and what it can do.