A Message from Pastor Dianne

A few days ago I was at a stop light behind a truck with the bumper decal:  “If it is tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?”

Well, for economic reasons, they are our guests here on Cape Cod!  That’s why we can’t.

The term “hospitality” refers to the relationship between a guest and a host. If you invite a friend or family member over to your home for dinner, for example, you’ll perform hospitality by accommodating the guest’s needs. Hospitality is understood to be the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.  It is the seasonal specialty in vacation locations!  As an industry, it may include information, transportation, food, and lodging.  Some businesses rely on hospitality to perform their operations and generate revenue.

Hospitality in the Biblical world was a social requirement – a recognition of vulnerability.  In the desert there was a scarcity of resources and survival was a real concern.  Further, tribal interactions might include conquest.  Hospitality between acquaintances and family comes naturally when the need arises to share scarce resources because we are known in the community.  Who would you share your surplus toilet paper with during the early Covid phenomenon?

However, strangers…. Like migrant workers, refugees, immigrants, and tourists… represent the “unknown.”  When lines are longer and traffic stalls, a mind like Christ’s, who suggested we walk the extra mile with our oppressors and give our extra coat away to the needy, would pass gun legislation to protect humans and animals alike rather than declare open season on either.

Enjoy the opportunity to extend hospitality in imitation of Christ.  The opportunity to build the Beloved Community and to break bread with people who have yet to hear the Good News of the life-giving Love of God for each of us. Enjoy the opportunity to extend the Inclusive Kingdom of God.

Pastor Dianne