Cooler Weather and Warmer Welcomes

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Nov. 9th, 2007.

We finally got the cooler weather that’s expected with the changing of seasons. Summer seemed to hang on far longer than most of us wanted. It certainly stayed hot too long for my tastes! Several times this summer, I commented on how much southeastern Ohio was feeling like the Texas summers I grew up with. And I moved away from Texas to get away from those summers!

I really appreciate the four seasons. I enjoy the colors and crisp coolness of fall. I love a beautiful snowfall and cold temperatures (as long as it’s not snowing on Sunday and I can stay inside to admire the snow!). The new life of spring invigorates me, and I even enjoy a few hot days during summer.

What get’s me down is too much of any one season’s extremes. In Texas, I would experience as much as six weeks of 95+ to 100+ days in a row. Late July and most of August were almost unbearable in the heat. Now some folks will say, “It’s a dry heat,” but let me tell you – an oven’s dry heat too, and I wouldn’t want to live there either!

My first summer in Ohio was incredible. We moved north six years ago in early August. The high temperatures were hovering near 80, and lows were in the upper 50s. Back in Texas, they were in the middle of one of those 100+ stretches. I thanked God for letting me experience such beautiful weather my first week in Ohio – it was almost as if the weather itself was offering my family a special new-comer’s welcome!

Hospitality is a key part of every community and culture. When we welcome one another, we create lasting bonds. When hospitality is absent, distrust and isolation tears the community apart. The United Methodist Church has been running television ads lately trying to make people feel welcome. “Radical hospitality” is what they call it. To be radical means to take something to an extreme. Radical hospitality, then, is to go above and beyond expectations to make people feel welcome.

My first summer here was an experience of radical hospitality in terms of weather. I would love to give unlimited days of 70s for highs and 50s for lows. But that’s not within my control – or yours. So what can we do to offer radical hospitality to one another?

My first suggestion shouldn’t be radical, but our culture has changed so much in the past 30 years, that now it is radical: offer common courtesies like holding doors open for one another when going in and out of buildings, stores, schools, churches, etc. I recently ate lunch at Bob Evans. As I was leaving, a group of ladies were coming in. I held the door for them, and one woman out of the group said, “Thank-you. No one’s held the door for me for years!” It’s not much effort, but it really does help others to feel appreciated.

My second suggestion is a little more difficult: go out of your way to offer a random act of kindness to a stranger. For instance, you’re heading into Parkersburg from Belpre using the Memorial toll bridge. Pay the toll for the car behind you. Maybe you can afford a little more generosity – the next time you’re in the 5 items or less line in Wal-Mart, pick up the cost for the person behind you. (Now be careful – you may not be able to do that big-screen plasma TV).

My third suggestion is perhaps the most difficult – but also the most rewarding: become a friend to someone you don’t really know. This takes time, effort and intentionality. It means inviting them over for a meal, or to watch the Buckeyes on TV, or to play games, or (gasp!) to go to church together. Have conversations together – find out what the other person likes, his or her dreams in life, the hurts she or he’s experienced.

Jesus Christ showed us what radical hospitality can look like. Take a look at Luke 15:1-7 (actually the whole 15^th chapter is full of hospitality stories) when Jesus tells the story of the shepherd and the lost sheep. The shepherd had 100 sheep, but one was lost. The shepherd went out to find the one lost sheep, and eventually he did. When he found it, he rejoiced and brought it back to the rest of the flock. Then he threw a party to celebrate!

Sometimes we are the lost sheep; sometimes we are the shepherd who goes to find the sheep. I encourage you to enjoy this cooler weather and take advantage of it to go out and find someone who’s lost. Make them feel welcome. I promise you that there will be a party when you do! “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)