Sunday - Second week in Advent

"Holiness is cosmic hospitality."  (Matthew Fox)

Often I write down thoughts of other people from books or articles because they strike me with a whack on the side of my head or a thud into my heart.  As a result of this hobby of scribbling words that confuse me, affirm an idea, whack me or land with a thud, I have hundreds of bits of paper floating around my house. Organizing these bits of paper has been an utter failure but one treasure in my periodic attempts is that I find thoughts I have forgotten and I get whacked or thudded all over again.

Matthew Fox's four little words whacked my head as I wondered, 'how - and why - does hospitality create holiness?' When I am in doubt about meaning, I generally pull out my dictionary and look up words.  I love dictionaries and one reason is because definitions in a dictionary are impervious to culture-babble. I picture the person writing definitions as someone who would respond to 'but I thought it meant', with a dignified sniff saying, "I don't care how you mean it, this is the correct meaning.'

The definition of hospitality offers clarity to Fox's words: hospitality is a friendly and generous reception of guests or strangers. Ah-ha! Mary was receptive to the angel as well as the message of the angel.  Joseph was receptive enough to Mary's story so that he was able to receive his own message within a dream.  Elizabeth was receptive to conceiving new life even though that was thought impossible.  The shepherds left their fields even though shepherds never leave their sheep because they were receptive to carrying a message given by angels. An inn keeper whose inn was full-up was receptive to the idea of sharing an unused stall in his barn despite knowing that offering an animal stall was not up to the standards of an inn keeper.

Each act of receptivity in the Christmas story is about willingness to move out of our status quo and open our mind or heart to strangers: unfamiliar angels, unfamiliar ideas, unfamiliar ideas of who I am and unfamiliar answers to problems.  "Unfamiliar" according to my pal the dictionary is that which we are unaccustomed to: it is not comfortable to our normal way of thinking or behaving ....and is therefore brand new.  New like the baby born into the world that long ago day in Bethlehem.

Today, as we continue to preparing to receive God's love in a new way, we  light the second candle on the wreath.  You might consider the flame as your willingness to entertain strangers; a willingness to open the door of your heart to someone or some idea that is quite unfamiliar to your normal way of thinking and behaving.