Hospitality

So.

 This morning I was totally ready to rant & rave but had no 'puter access so now I am too tired & sore so I will just share.

So ~ today was AWANA games for our 14 yr old. He has been looking forward to them forever. They were postponed once because of the weather. They were held at a church 2 hrs from us. We got up at 5, did chores in the dark & were on the road by 6. Drove thru really nasty rain & wind to get there. We get there & it is this great big really nice church surrounded by this monster wrought iron fence ~all the gates are locked but ONE ~signs everywhere saying DO NOT ENTER ~not a super friendly facade. We go inside & it is a HUGE beautiful building. They had breakfast going on in a side room & I took my 2 hungry little boys in to see if they would eat something. I walk in the door with my boys & a woman ~who was apparently standing guard~ says “The food is just for the players & the coaches.”

Okay. I just drove 2 hours to get here, y’all have a giant mega-church & you can’t spot 2 little boys a donut?

I was so mad. Hot would be a good description.

 I told my husband what had happened & he offered to go in & get us something but I said no. If they weren’t willing to share then I wasn’t interested. It really wasn’t even about the food. It was about the lack of Christian love. I am a believer, well grounded in the word & part of a fellowship & that church made me feel unwanted, unwelcome, & unloved. How do you think a non-believer would be feeling about that church & Christians in general right now? Not exactly what Jesus had in mind for his people, hey?

I just don’t get it.

Our little church can barely stay solvent & yet if we had hosted the games we would have had food for everybody.  We would have done everything in our power to make sure nobody was hungry~ not players, not coaches, not parents or siblings or grandparents or whoever. We would consider it part of our community outreach. We would consider it joy.

 The Bible clearly states that we are to practice hospitality.

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 1Peter 4:9

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Romans 12 10-13

That church today dropped the ball in a BIG way. They had an opportunity to show the love of Christ.

Instead they showed they cared more for money than hospitality.

 Shame on them.

Blessings.