Thought for the Week: Spiritual hospitality
Bob Ward reflects on flickering lights in the darkness
In his day, George Fox had good reason to raise objections to the established church: its rigid doctrines; its hireling priests and their demands for the payment of tithes to keep the edifice in being; but all parties to those times have moved on, if not necessarily in the same direction. So, as I travel around with my wife we find ourselves drawn to visit churches that we come across. They often reveal to us their offerings of spiritual hospitality. For example, in one Swedish church we visited we came across a bowl of water within which were some clear glass beads. Beside it there was a rose and a text in English. It said:
Dip your hand into this baptismal fountain, take a droplet and carry it home with you. Your whole life is carried in this droplet – comprising the totality of being human. It is this droplet that is filled with hope and love.
