Thought for the Week

ON SUNDAY I had the privilege of representing the Presbytery of Argyll at the service of celebration of the union of Strone and Ardentinny congregation with Kilmun.

They look forward with a new vision for the future as they become the Shore Kirk.

David, their minister, had invited me to preach the sermon and it was a great honour to do so. Maggie and I were kindly invited to stay at the manse with David and Evelyn on Saturday night to avoid worry about ferry disruptions and any other problems which might occur.

We were pleased to do so and thanked our hosts for this kind offer.

Little did we know what hospitality lay before us. Hospitality is defined as: ‘The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers.’

Well, from the moment we arrived at the manse, we knew we certainly weren’t strangers. We were welcomed with love and hospitality, with friendship and kindness, with laughter and acceptance, and much ‘generous reception’.

David’s ministry calls him to bring this union together.

I thought again about this wonderful concept of hospitality. It is one of the things emphasised in the New Testament, which reminds us that we are all called to offer hospitality to friend and stranger alike.

Hospitality is more than providing food and a bed – it is about providing a space in which we can talk and in which, in an atmosphere of trust, we can share who we are.

At the manse we enjoyed laughter and stories, sharing and caring and I felt that it was a foretaste of what the Kingdom could be like.

Jesus told us to welcome each other, and what a blessing it is to be welcomed.