Hosting is tiring because you have a lot of people coming into your home. If my count is accurate, we had about 18 people. That's actually a small number compared to our normal gatherings (several people were out of town or couldn't come for some reason). For me at least, hosting a number of people like that, even brothers and sisters in Christ, is a little stressful. I suppose the main reason is that the house needs to be relatively cleaned up. Also, you are responsible if something goes wrong in the bathroom, if people need something they can't find in the frig, if they need to find a place to park, etc.
To be honest, the biggest stressor usually falls on the moms. It has to do directly with the food. When lots of people come, it means a lot of food is entering the kitchen area. Some of it needs to be plugged in. Some needs to be cooked. It all needs to be placed in a way that it doesn't fall and break. The kitchen becomes a swarming mass of humanity. Thank God for my wife.
Hosting is tiring. However, the rewards outweigh the stresses. It is such a pleasure to invite people into your home. In particular, it is wonderful to have your church family over. It is a great privilege to take the body of Christ into your own house and essentially say, "This is your home, too. Let's share this time together." You get to share what God has given you. You get to let your spiritual family sit on your couch, chairs, and floor and simply talk about what the Spirit leads you to talk about.
Using your home in this way is an act of spiritual service to the church. It costs little, but allows the body to gather in a comfortable atmosphere where everyone can seek Christ together. It gives everyone the opportunity to follow the biblical model in church gatherings as they have been convicted to do. It provides a setting for mutual edification to take place in an everyday, natural way.
Hosting is a joy, even if it is tiring.
I encourage you, no matter how your church family normally gathers, to invite brothers and sisters in Christ into your home. Be creative. Eat together. Share life and have a great time. It may not happen on Sunday; instead get together some other time - anytime that works. You will enjoy it and so will they. You will probably be tired, but you will also feel rewarded.
It's worth it.
4 comments:
Eric,
You are so right,"It's worth it." It's one of the great joys of serving one's brethren.
Our home used to be a center of much church activity. Sadly, neither my wife or myself are up to the task anymore. We would do it tomorrow if we could.
John,
I hope you still have sweet fellowship with other Christians in some capacity. We have enjoyed it a great deal. It is very real.
It is one way we wash one another's feet. It is teaching by example, not by words. It is designed to be fully reproduced into others opening their homes to others.
Tim,
Well said brother. It is quite a wonderful privilege.
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