Beloved Church,
I want to talk to you about our children. We have a small bunch of kiddos I see in the pray-ground on Sunday mornings. They are bright, loving, and curious. One is very serious about church and loves to swing the thurible and pretend to pour wine into the chalice. Two of them love to bring toys from home to show me. One absolutely loves trains. Another enjoys writing in their own notebook and drawing. Yet another enjoys being creative with playdoh and giving the stuffed animal du jour communion. We have two precious infants, a few tweens (one of whom is a chorister) and two of the most engaging teens who come up with brilliant ideas for Episcopal themed video games. It’s a small group but they are the future of St. Paul’s. It has always been my hope to grow our small group, but I need your help.
The French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, wrote extensively about the philosophy of hospitality. He stated, “Let us say yes to who or what turns up, before any determination, before any anticipation, before any identification, whether or not it has to do with a foreigner, an immigrant, uninvited guest, or unexpected visitor, whether or not the new arrivals is the citizen of another country, a human, animal, or divine creature, a living or dead thing.”(Derrida 2000: 77). He was speaking about an unconditional hospitality, what we at St. Paul’s call radical hospitality. It’s also the same kind of hospitality Jesus practiced. He modeled a hospitality that encompassed a deeper sense of welcoming, acceptance, and love towards others. Whether unconditional hospitality or radical hospitality, Jesus calls us to a hospitality that is about opening up ourselves to others. This is also what I am asking of you, beloved church. As 1 Peter 4:9 instructs us, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
I invite you to come into the pray-ground and meet our children and their families. Learn their names, watch them play, open yourself up to how they worship.
Kate Gould, Family Ministry
gouldk@stpaulcathedral.org
