Hospitality #2 – Boundaries
Thought there was more than a grain of truth to this comment also, from Christine Pohl’s book:
“Often we maintain significant boundaries when offering help to persons in need. Many churches prepare and serve meals to hungry neighbours, but few church members find it easy to sit and eat with those who need the meal.? When people are very different from ourselves, we often find it more comfortable to cook and clean for them than to share in a meal and conversation.? We are familiar with roles as helpers but are less certain about being equals eating together. Many of us struggle with simply being present with people in need; our helping roles give definition to the relationship but they also keep it decidely hierarchical.”
Again it seems that the only remedy to this heirarchical approach has to be the gospel.? Imagine the radical nature of Paul’s statement? in ? 1Cor 7: “For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.”
Our culture simply cannot fathom that role reversal, but the alternative reality that is God’s community must.? It makes no sense at all to live this way, unless the alternative reality that Paul points out is the only reality.
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