Hospitality is the most fun part of being a pastor’s wife. I LOVE people! I feel energized and more alive, when people are around. I don’t even have to be the one talking or in the spot light. I’m from a big family, and it’s one of my greatest treasures. I love going home to Florida, where I’m just another grandchild among the other 16.  I am part of something bigger than myself; that’s beautiful. When we all get together there is over 50 of us! It’s the best! You have 30 conversations going on at one time. You can sit and whisper with Gigi as she marvels at the energy and love in the house. You can completely disappear into the crowd with a feeling of contentment, just watching everyone around you.

Today, I get to feel that love with my church family. We’ve got lunch and dinner planned. I’m so excited at the variety that I get to love on today: family, close friends, and new friends. All this preparation for today made me think about the  body of Christ. We are all different. We have different gifts, areas of influence, backgrounds, and jobs, but in Christ we are one body. There are some members of the body that are fun and we delight to see. There are some members of the body that are inconvenient.

The kingdom of God sets everything in this world upside down, and sometimes we forget that. 1 Corinthians 12 was written to remind us of God’s values. Often, we honor the pastor, the rich, the people on the finance committee, or on the committee on committees, but God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.

Who is to be given the greatest honor? “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor… while our presentable parts need no special treatment.” God wants us to labor for equality in the body.

What are the parts of the body that we need to love and honor today? We must sit with those that are grieving, suffering, and depressed. The poor, the lowly of this world should be loved the most. The ones who are inconvenient should be favored.

My Beloved, remember that this will cost us. Grace is free. Following Christ costs us not only our preferences, but also our lives. We all prefer to be rich, comfortable, happy, and enjoying our lives. To sit with the poor and lowly may cost us our time and money. To sit with grieving and suffering may make us feel their sadness and pain. To sit with the lowly will cost us our comfort.

Meditation: Worthy of Greater Honor Colossians 3:12, 14

Our hope is in Christ. He is even now working to make all things right.

As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,

humility, gentleness and patience.

And over all these virtues put on love,

which binds them all together in perfect unity.