by Pastor Mark Moreno

A Gathering Space

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Today’s image comes to us from a community café, a gathering space, at the church I serve. The space is a work in progress, much like you and me! We know that people want to feel welcomed, they want a warm space that is inviting. Add some coffee and donuts and you are getting close! In fact, most people in our church call this space the “Donut Room”!

I am willing to bet that you have done work in your home, your space, to make it more warm and inviting. When you have family and friends over, you clean and make sure the space has plenty of seating, decorations and ample food and drink. But there is likely something that you wish you could improve: Maybe the kitchen is outdated or the room is too small. When faced with those types of limitations, some people choose to remodel and update their space!

In 1 Samuel 25:6, we read,

“Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have”. English Standard Version

So many Bible passages speak to what truly makes a house and home: God’s very presence!

What could be more warm and inviting than a living faith in the One True God? You can renovate your home and have the most lovely community café in your church, but without hospitality that reflects the love of Christ, then it doesn’t really make an impact. In other words, you could have a dirt floor and a very humble abode, but if Christ is present, then it is a most welcoming sight!

Jesus Himself speaks to this powerful truth in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me”.

My prayer for you this year is to build your home, your church, your life on the foundation of Christ. This year make an effort to show true hospitality to everyone that you meet, making them feel welcomed and valued. You know how important that is when someone treats you that way! May God’s Holy Spirit lead you to welcoming the stranger, caring for the needy and feeding the hungry. I wonder how God will work in your life today?

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado