Holy Host
I believe we are healed and made whole at the table of God as He tends our wounds, dries our tears, and listens long to our stories.
Possible topics under this theme are:
Be Our Guest.
In the Methodist church of my youth our names for God were Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Recently God re-introduced Himself to me as Father, Son, and Holy Host. And it took my breath away. And it captured me. And I fell in love with Him all over again. Come experience the wide-open welcome of God in whose presence we are healed and made whole.
Unusual Kindness.
King David once asked, “to whom can I show God’s kindness?” What a simple question. What a life-changing question. It may be a stranger washed up on our shores, or one within our own circles. To whom can we show God’s kindness? It’s a practice of noticing, of stopping, of responding with compassion. It’s extending the hospitality of God to others, and it’s easier (and harder) than you might think.
The Tending and Mending of Me.
I’ve come to believe the parable Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan not only illustrates how we’re to love our neighbors, but additionally how we love ourselves. We cannot be one whose words & works bring healing to others if we continually make a wide berth around the wounded parts of our own souls. Welcome to self-compassion, the tending & mending of me.
God’s Gifts & Guests.
In 2 Timothy 2:21, Paul encourages us to "Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to His guests for their blessing." Please note God has gifts and God has guests. We are the containers. The carriers of the gifts. The ones who both receive and release. In this session we talk about the preparation involved in being readied for such a holy task, most of which involves emptying … just a warning.