For several months I prayed for this year’s Allume Conference. Every month I picked a different area to pray for – the worship, sponsors, speakers, staff – you get the idea. And for October, I picked “Unity”. I prayed that all of us there would put aside our differences, what’ere they may be, and come together to learn how to better glorify our King.
This was my second year to attend and I had been looking forward to going for several months. I expected to grow and learn. What I never planned on was to come away feeling raw.
The verse for this year’s conference was Revelation 3:20
As the director gave the keynote my eyes kept wandering to the easel that held the verse. I grew up with those words, we even sang a song about it, how many dozens of times, I don’t remember. But it’s there, etched on my mind. Though I never understood them until now.
This year’s theme was Hospitality. We were admonished to open our hearts and online spaces to everyone. We were encouraged to be a people of heart hospitality, leaving people feeling better about themselves than before they encountered us.
But I want to ask you this, how can we be hospitable when we don’t realize that God is a God of hospitality?
I never really felt that verse was for me. For everyone else, sure. But not me. I always pictured myself opening the door, serving Him His food, and then hanging back as He ate in silence, never feeling worthy to sit and eat with Him.
As I sat there reading those words over and over, the truth hit me.
“I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” Then I looked around at all of us at the table. Every meal consisted of friends and strangers sitting together over a meal and communing.
We were sharing something intimate with one another – we were getting to know each other over bread, laughter, and tears.
He showed me that weekend, in late October, that no matter the shame, no matter the sin struggles, He wants to eat with me – with you.
And that humbles me because I know that we don’t deserve it. But He calls to us, comes to us, and communes with us because He wants to.
He wants to.
I’ve always know Him as God, Creator, Lord, and even Father. But now, He’s offered me a seat at His table and I know Him as Friend.