As a Foreign Service family, we moved a lot in my childhood. Someone once gave my mother an inspirational poster with the words, “Bloom Where You Planted,” which she edited to read, “Bloom Where You Are Trans-planted.” I think of that poster when I read Jesus’ instructions to his followers as they head out to proclaim the Good News and heal the sick:
"Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”
Jesus has already told them to go without any luggage, money or protection. They will have to rely on hospitality offered to them. They are not to pick and choose, trying out the beds or inquiring about the menu before selecting a place to stay. Wherever they land, they are to remain until they leave that town and go to the next.
How does this advice relate to us in our contexts and ministries? I see here a word about receiving with grace what is offered, not looking for the best deal or seeing what we can arrange for ourselves. Being the recipient of hospitality is hard for many of us, wired as we are to give - which is also a way of staying in control. Many churches have embraced the concept of “radical hospitality,” signaling that all are welcome, whether or not they know our secret handshakes, or what (or where…) a narthex is. Jesus invites us to an even more challenging place: to be “radical guests,” appreciating what is offered us, not even trying to return the favor.
This word is also about staying focused on our mission in God’s life. Picking and choosing the places we want to stay and what we want to eat and how we want to schedule our days takes energy and attention that might be better directed toward being open to the leading of the Spirit and where we see God-energy around us.
Above all, we are called to live in a mode of radical trust, as followers of the One who was always on the move, always eating at the tables of others or on what his supporters rustled up. That doesn’t mean we can never host or give; it just means we must increase our capacity to receive if we truly want to be filled with the love and grace that only God can give.
Only as we are filled with the full measure of God-Life can we proclaim, “The kingdom of God has come near to you,” because we’re bringing it. Only as we trust in God’s provision can we bloom where we are planted, until God transplants us somewhere else.
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