Hosts of God’s Presence

Shalada walked out on her front porch with outstretched arms and the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. “You’re HERE!” she said as she stood in socked feet right outside her front door, to welcome two women she’d never met in person, Heather and Kim. What I love about Shalada is that she extends the same big welcome to everyone, regardless of how well she knows you. She loves people like Jesus does. I walked Heather and Kim into Shalada’s home and set down their bags. They had just arrived from Northern Ireland to attend the Dwellings Cohort Gathering in Little Rock, Arkansas. Shalada, who is also part of Cohort and who lives in Little Rock, was their host for the weekend. “I’m so excited to meet you in person!” Shalada beamed. “I recognize you from the Zoom calls, but this is so much better to be in person!”

Shalada’s joy in welcoming people is who God made her to be. She lives out her calling, literally and metaphorically, in the image I have of her standing there at her front door, arms flung wide in welcome, beckoning guests in.

Next, I was driving Margaret and Robin Clarke, who had also just arrived from the United Kingdom, to Mary’s house for the weekend. Mary met us outside in her front yard, having just returned from a walk with her dog. With a smile and outstretched hand - that turned into a friendly hug - she said, “Hi, I’m Mary, I’m so glad you’re here. How was your trip?” Mary took us into her home and walked the Clarke’s upstairs to the guest room. Mary’s warmth and casual ability to make her guests feel at home showed her years of experience in hosting people. She was so at ease, so engaging, so accommodating to their needs. “Feel free to get settled in your room or come on down to visit,” she said. I left Mary’s house thinking, so this is how it’s done . . . this open, laid back, natural way of inviting people into your home and life . . . it is a ministry of the heart. It has become part of who Mary is, and it is beautiful.

Then I took Nic and Jacque, in from California, to my parents’ house after the gathering on Friday night. I walked them in and there were my parents, getting up from their chairs by the fire, ready to greet Nic and Jacque. Standing in my parents’ kitchen, I watched for the hundred-thousandth time as my parents extended the same embrace, warmth, and kindness I have witnessed all my life to people gathered in their home: Mom’s intuition with their needs - “Can we get you a glass of water?” and Dad’s humor about getting them to move here from California . . . “We’ve got a place for you right here in Arkansas, lots of rivers and fishing, the best in the nation . . .” My parents offered to make breakfast for Nic and Jacque the next morning. What I was observing, for the third time that day, was the surprising impact a host can have simply by their presence.

I’ve been thinking these past few days about the ministry of hosting. I recently finished a beautiful book by author David Gibson called The Lord of Psalm 23. Gibson writes about how God is described not just as a Shepherd in this well-known Psalm, but also a Host: “You prepare a table before me . . . you anoint my head with oil . . . my cup overflows.” The use of the second-person pronoun, You, shows that this is a personal encounter between a host and guest. It’s like David is saying to the Lord, “Your care for me is so comprehensive, so absolute, that, more than the way a loving shepherd treats a precious sheep, you treat the way a lavish host treats a special guest.”

It’s easy to read Psalm 23 and imagine God as a Shepherd and a Savior. But what about as a Host, as someone who wants to prepare a table and serve us? Gibson writes, “It is God’s nature to serve us as much as it is to save us.” When David describes God as one who prepares a table for him, anoints him, and makes his cup overflow, David is describing a God who wants to host him in his presence.

And this “hosting presence” is what I saw in Shalada, Mary, and my parents as they welcomed guests into their homes this weekend. They were mirroring the way God acts toward us. They were serving their guests, getting to know them personally, and enjoying their company. As we get to know the Host of Psalm 23, and as we receive the welcome he offers us to come and dwell in his presence, then we can extend that same welcome to others.

Lord,

We want to receive your welcome, and be guests of your presence.

We praise you for preparing a table before us . . . for anointing our head with oil; for making our cups overflow.

We praise you that we get to live in your house with you forever.

As we dwell in you now, let us become hosts of who you are, that we may welcome others into your living presence.

Amen.