Hospitality
A couple of weeks ago I was speaking from 1 Peter 4 which includes the instruction to offer hospitality "without grumbling". A couple of years ago we did our pastor's conference around the theme "The hospitality of Christ".
This theme has led to several conversations on encouraging church beyond the Sunday meeting. How can we build relationships and encourage hospitality in a city where people claim to be "too busy"?
This article at Allelon is helpful, and the writer suggests:
"Contemporary congregations, like contemporary families, are often too busy to eat together. They fail to recognize the significance of shared meals."
"Meals are social realities of great importance. Becoming communities of hospitality who 'devote themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers' (Acts 2:42) will require courage and imagination. Courage in inviting people to set aside the time to be together and imagination to establish a creative and stimulating context for experiencing the hospitality of God's banquet."

I think we underestimate sometimes the power of taking time to eat together in bringing people together across age and ethnic divides. Although it can be hard when your as fusy about what you eat as I am!!