1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Peter was a very close friend of Jesus. He walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, and ate with Jesus. He was one of the three disciples who made up Jesus’ “inner circle” along with James and John. In his first letter, he writes “one another” five times. These “one another” texts reveal what it means to be a Christian in all ages. Over the coming months I will be pondering these verses in the Kibbie News Letter.
Over the past two years COVID-19 has been a worldwide pandemic. People have practiced self-quarantine. Hospitals and nursing homes have not allowed visitors. Restaurants and schools were closed. People around the world were encouraged to exercise “social distancing.” We were and are in unprecedented times. So how do we “offer hospitality to one another” when being kept from interacting with one another?
Peter says we each receive gifts to empower us to serve others without grumbling. Instead of pausing our serving throughout this pandemic, may God continue to help us to find new and creative ways to serve each other! I have been encouraged to see how Kibbie Church continues to be faithful in serving one another over the past year! Let’s continue to think outside of the box for new ways in which we might show hospitality to one another!
Thanks for your hospitality,
Pastor Vern