Jacob's Well 1/14 Number 1: Hospitality and an Old Apartment

With a church commitment cancelled this morning, I decided to go to Jacob's Well for the 11 a.m. service. I was running late, having again forgotten that I need to take into consideration scraping my windshield now that my car sits outside in the city elements instead of in a snug suburban garage. When I neared 42nd and Wyoming, I saw lots of cars and was surprised. I had assumed that attendance would be down, with icy streets and all. When I walked in, the band was already playing and there were not many seats left. A tall, lovely young woman named Jennifer who was there alone, and who has been attending about 3 months, and has just moved "up to Kansas City" and works for a brokerage (?) firm on the plaza, and has a very nice smile, offered to let me sit with her. Shayne preached a great sermon on "resolving to be a blessing---through offering hospitality in your home"---something I needed to hear since I tend to think that my apartment, with its grubby-walled foyer; the bathroom doors that each have about a two inch gap at the bottom of the door, not to mention over-used fixtures; the hard wood floors that look as if they have not been refinished since World War II when this large house was divided in to three apartments; with its four doorbells at the front door, all of which have wires sticking out in all directions and none of them work; and my favorite, the last of five front steps that suddenly, instead of being the five inches or so that a normal step is, is about 9 inches and makes folks trip...I tend to think that my apartment is not "nice" enough to entertain in...but really, that is my own pride or something talking and I should get over it. Shayne helped me to rethink that. Thanks. When we open our homes to guests, God's presence makes that ordinary moment sacred, said Shayne. Something else to really think about. Thanks again, Shayne