Good morning all!

I was just cleaning out the dishwasher this morning, sorting out the cutlery and thinking of you all.  After the church leaves, which is usually on average 14 - 15 people, Andy and I do a few minutes of moving chairs, throwing toys in bins and starting the dishwasher.  And that is IT!  Did you know what easy guests you are?

My friend Catherine said when she left that she can't believe we do this - have over so many people - every Sunday.  I've had many people comment how much work that must be.  In fact I'm sure this idea of hosting being a lot of work keeps people from doing it.  So I want to clarify what hosting the church means to me.

Practically speaking; we do clean & clear the house.  We clean our house as time affords, but on Sundays we have a compelling reason to make sure its a bit cleaner than normal.  That isn't a bad thing for us.  And we don't stress about what we can't get done.  (ok, sometimes I do but Andy shakes my head good & hard).  Maybe we do the bathrooms, the floors or pick up toys..... And that is the biggest job!  :-]
I often prep with dishes and coffee when everyone is arriving.  This is because I may have been praying for our meeting before they came, or reading someone a book, or breaking up a fight.  :-]  Very Holy work.

We've never wanted the host home to feel it was a lot of work to have the church over.  It can't be.  If it became all about the host's ability to "host like Martha" we'd never be able to have church in our homes.  In fact lets take our expectations down another notch.  This isn't about hosting like the world would want us to, our mother, our own expectations.  This is simply opening your home.  Yep.  Having some dishes ready.  Coffee/tea or lemonade.  Whatever you like.  

Then after you open your home its about what will happen in that home for those few hours together.  We aren't just hosting each other - we are hosting Jesus too!  All of us are doing that.  Praying for God to come and move in our midst, to speak to our hearts, to receive our worship, laughter and prayer.  

Hosting is about creating a sacred place.  But the sacred place is unlike anything you've known before.  Its not a cathedral.  Its not a monastery.  Its not a beautiful serene spot in the mountains.  
This sacred spot involves noise, food, and conversation.  It involves singing, dishes and prayer.  It involves doors opening & closing, latecomers & those leaving early.  It involves shoes, coats & umbrellas.  
It is where God is.  He is present in our studying, interruptions and our games.  He does not leave us when we laugh or spill our drinks.  God remains just as present, powerful and holy.  

Oh!  I should go.  But I must conclude with more.  I appreciate all the work you do when you come for church.  The sweeping, the wiping, the feeding, the picking up, the moving around, the putting away, the replenishing the toilet paper!  I notice this stuff and need all your help.  I did not grown up having people in our home.  This does not come naturally to me, nor is it my "spiritual gift".  But I've come to enjoy it, this process and each one of you.  You make it easier for me.  I've never felt judged and I've always felt our privacy respected.  At times I may feel overwhelmed [by 7pm I may look a little fried] but I don't feel overrun, disrespected or alone.  

Thanks so much for being church with me.  Thanks for making it easy.  Thanks for not expecting me to be something...ridiculous.  Actually I think that it would only be the host who has these strange expectations on themselves...no one in our church has ever complained about not having a special napkin holder or the candles not lit.  heehee.

That was the end of the email but I had a few extra thoughts I wanted to share. To all of us participating in this venture:

Please make yourself at home but remember you’re a guest!

How can you be these two things at once? Find you way around the kitchen, help yourself to coffee, know where the napkins are kept, invite your friends and be able to bring out the extra chairs. Be willing to pitch in and certainly don’t expect to be served. [You most likely will be, but don’t come to need it. Remember its the host’s church time too]. Can the host and the guest learn to serve each other? Relax and be at peace like you would be in your own home.

If there are new comers to your home church, absolutely take on the role of welcomer and host. It is your own church family, this new person is walking into. Don’t leave the job of welcoming to your host home. Its the church’s job. Personally I found this to be the best surprise benefit of home church. When a newcomer is in our midst I feel absolutely no burden to make things picture perfect for them. I know I am not alone in welcoming newcomers to the family of God, I can relax because I have these amazing people around me who will offer coffee, start conversation or bring in another chair. It is no longer the paid person’s job to make sure things run smoothly. In this way I have found when one of our members has been unwell or needs extra care I am not alone in caring the burden. Together we will work out a plan to support and care for each other. Not one person should be the hands of Christ - each one of us carries the other.

Now at the same time remember you are a guest in your host’s home. If you were apart of traditional church, did you ever think about the pens you used in the pew in front of you, or the garbage you left behind in your seat? Now you know the people who prepare for you to come over every week! Make it easy for them. Respect the space you are enjoying by cleaning up after yourself or bringing supplies you might need.

A home is not a public space to wander around. If there are rooms the church has not been invited into, don’t go in. Usually guests don’t put their feet on furniture or fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. A guest is someone who...comes prepared to socialize, to bless and to engage. Leave your leftovers with your host if that would be a blessing, or take them if that would be the blessing! Bring some flowers, bring extra napkins, give an apple slicer [thanks Colleen & Laurelle] whatever you’d like. Instead of paying for a mortgage or a janitor, love the host family with intention.

ps - we'll probably just get this groove of meeting in houses and then we'll start meeting in pubs or offices! Whatever God calls us to, I'm ok with that.