Jared

 Jared, an early elementary school boy, lived on our street. Our families were friends; members of the same church, went camping together, and his mother taught at the same elementary school with Paige. Jared admired our high-school-age daughters and was with our family a lot. It was fun having him around. Friends of our daughters thought Jared was their little brother—an “oops” in our  childbearing years .(He was as blond-headed as they, adding to such speculation.)

From time to time, our doorbell would ring. Jared, standing there, would ask,”Can Mrs. Moore come out and play?” Paige always cheerfully went out for a game. Sometimes Jared and I would have the following conversation:

Jared: “Mr. Moore. I have a great idea!” 

Me:  “Jared, what is your great idea?”

Jared: “Why don’t I stay and have dinner with y’all?”

Me: “Jared, that is a great Idea. I’ll call your mom and tell her.”

Jared: “Don’t call her. She will say ‘No.’”

Paige or I would call Diane and announce (over her protests) “Jared is having dinner with us tonight.”

We took Jared on one of our camping trips . During our stay at the campground, we went out for our usual, non-camping-splurge-dinner; this time to a Chinese Restaurant. Jared said he had never eaten Moo goo gai pan, so he ordered it. When his serving came, his eyes were like deer-in-headlights; but he dug in courageously. He had barely made a dent in the generous serving, when he asked if he could take the rest with him to the campground, “For tomorrow?” 

Every night we built a campfire. The highlight at the campfire was roasting marshmallows; putting them on a slab of Hershey’s chocolate between two graham crackers. I told him they are S’mores. When he got home he told his family about them; he said we had named this new desert “The Moores.” 

Hospitality is a salve that can conciliate all kinds of relationships; it tends to make living in community more joyful. And. it soothes all sorts of rough spots. Jesus was scolded for allowing a woman of the streets to pour costly ointment on his feet.
Jesus pointed out to his host that not even he had provided the customary hospitality of providing water for washing the dust from his guest’s feet. The Scripture has not only ample examples of hospitality, but also admonitions generously to provide it—- especially to strangers. Jesus taught that hospitality should be provided; even to difficult or hostile people. (Yep! they had those back then too.) Hebrew traditions are heavy with displays of offering hospitality.

A hospitality template for the treatment of others may be found in Odysseus’s treatment of others. It is said that modern hospitality finds it roots in The Odyssey. “The most important value at the core of Homer’s The Odyssey is hospitality,” according to Sparknotes editors. Our recovery of vibrant civility could find fountains of resources for hospitality in The New Testament as well as The Odyssey.

As Jared’s presence with our family demonstrates, the gift of hospitality keeps on giving. We didn’t think of what we were doing as hospitality, yet those experiences likely blessed us far more than they blessed Jared.