Great Plains Daily Devotional for 9/28/2021

Romans 12:9-13

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
 

It happened last week.  I was leaving a busy hospital in Kansas City after a medical check up.  As I approached the congested entrance/exits I chose to exit through the revolving door.  As I neared it a middle age black man entered the wing and looked behind to see if I, an older age white man, was entering the same wing. (It is called revolving door tailgating).  I motioned for him to go ahead and waited to enter the next wing.  As we exited the door and as he walked a few steps ahead of me I said “thanks brother.” He looked back and with a first bump said “you’re welcome.” 
 
Then an amazing thing happened.  He stopped and turned to me with full attention and said: “You know that’s right, we are brothers. It doesn’t matter what we look like, our skin color, our size or shape or where we come from, we are all brothers.”  I said:” Yes indeed”. He then said “the world would be a better place if we remembered that.”  I said “ and a lot warmer too.”  As we went our different ways in parting he said “thanks for the reminder, have a good day.”
 
As I walked to my car I was overcome with emotion, rehearsing what just happened in that brief human encounter.  Later I got to thinking that perhaps what I did was “extend hospitality to a stranger.” And at that moment we became brothers at an exit to a public building.
 
So I challenge us to refine all the simple yet powerful ways we can extend hospitality to strangers. Including at a revolving door.
 
 

Prayer for Reflection

Proverbs 31:10-31
Psalm 1
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37