There are two times in the year when visiting extended family is considered important: Christmas and Thanksgiving. We think of having our family over for such occasions as being hospitable. But how many people do we have to have over to be hospitable? Is 5 enough? Or should it be twice as many people as you normally have at home? Can it be immediate family, or must it be strangers?
What is real hospitality? A good definition of hospitality is “cheerfully sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those whom God brings into my life.” So, whether we have 73 people over, or only a few, the important thing is sharing what you have with those whom God brings into our lives.
We had 73 people over the Friday before Thanksgiving, and then had all the Sherbrooke Gideons and their wives (about 15 people) over for an honorary supper on Thanksgiving Day.
But what would it be to have company without there being some kind of disaster? The one I remember best is the turkey disaster.
The turkey decided it was tired of sitting in a pan of boiling liquid, so when I pulled it part way out of the oven, it promptly released that liquid all over the oven door, the floor and my feet, which happened to be under me as I was removing the turkey. I am very grateful for Elizabeth and Jonathan who willingly helped clean up the mess. Overall, however, the preparation went very well, and we had the opportunity of meeting a few new people.
Although almost all the leaves have fallen now, we did had some beautiful autumn weather this year. Thanksgiving Friday was one such day so, as I was outside waiting for people to arrive, I thought I would take advantage of it to take some pictures of what remained of the beautiful autumn foliage.
colourful maple leaves
1 Peter 4:9-10 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”