Hospitality is their gift.
She had us start out discussing the derivative of hospitality. It comes from the word "Hospes" which has to do with both host and guest. But other, more familiar terms are Hospital, Hostel and Hospice.
The Bible is chuck full of hospitality stories that usually have to do with taking care of scary strangers - who sometimes turn out to be angels. And sometimes they don't!
My sister-in-law, Sandy, has this gift of hospitality. Also my daughter and husband who welcome friends and stranded strangers at the drop of a hat, have this gift. My friend Nancy used to have us Power Rangers meet regularly in her lovely home where she always had delicious treats including huge pitted dates which I think she had there just for me. And now that she is quite ill and unable to do all of these special things - she's still having us over! And her home is still the warm, loving, safe place for us that it's always been.
I could go on and on but you get the idea. Some of us think that we need to wait until we get the right house, or the big fancy dining room and matching salad forks. But that's not what hospitality is about.
Following is a quote Charlotte gave us from the book "Making Room" by Christine Pohl:
Although we often think of hospitality as a tame and pleasant practice, Christian hospitality has always had a subversive counter cultural dimension. Especially when the larger society disregards or dishonors certain persons, small acts of respect and welcome are potent far beyond themselves...Recognition involves respecting the dignity and equal worth of every person and valuing their contributions, or at least their potential contributions, to the larger community.
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