Thought for the week: The opportunities of showing fellowship with others
I was very struck recently at our normal Sunday morning service by one verse from a song composed in 2019 by Paul Baloche. The words that came alive to me, referring to Jesus, were - ‘He who dined with sinners and saints, Healed the blind, the lost and the lame; Even now He is in our midst; Behold Him.'
Dining is very big business. It is a key part of the hospitality industry, as it is known, and is worth some £70billion every year in the UK; employs some 3.5 million people and is the third largest employer in the country. And we drink about 100 million cups of coffee every year! But who do we dine with?
Who are the people with whom we share a few of those 100 million cups? The Bible is very clear on some of the principles that all Christian people can – indeed should – bring in answering such questions.
For example: the Apostle Paul speaks warmly of his friend Gaius "whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy". (Romans 16.23). The writer to the Hebrews is very straightforward - "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers’"(Hebrews 13.2).
The picture is clear from the life of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament… Showing hospitality is important within the church, but it is also exceedingly important to offer hospitality to people who are not in your family or church circles. I have the opportunity to do this quite regularly, and I am almost always amazed and humbled how much it is appreciated.
We live in a society where I, me and mine are so often at the centre of our plans – and indeed our aspirations. A society which has an epidemic of loneliness and isolation; a society where the vulnerable are often kept on the margins. To be able to share a coffee or a meal with someone who doesn’t expect it is a huge privilege and a blessing all round. Of course, for that to happen, we need to be actively on the look-out for opportunities to do so – but the Lord does providentially bring them to us if we so wish.
He who dined with sinners and saints had no favourite groups or people to be excluded from the meal table or the coffee conversation. He had time - lots of it – for those in all kinds of need. One of the delights of being a follower of Christ is that I have not been required to join a club or become part of a local church-based ‘in crowd’. I’m really only an ever-learning follower when I am both in fellowship and life sharing with other believers alongside being out there showing Christ to other people in whatever way I can – and there are few better ways to do that than having decent conversation over a meal or sharing coffee. How’s about making a move this coming week to have a coffee and chat with someone you don’t yet know very well?