A local view on being host and guest - by Mark Hofman

During the opening worship service of the Reformed Youth Forum, delegates and stewards alike were asked to bring forward a “gift.” These gifts were not material possessions or even specific talents or strengths – these gifts were written on small pieces of paper and hung on nails protruding from a cloth-wound cross.

In this act of both self-submission and celebration we demonstrated one of the central themes of this Uniting General Council: it’s not all about what you bring, but who you are. As a local steward, I have been happy to represent my college and seminary, my denomination and country in this gathering of Christians from around the world. I have delighted in conversations with Lithuanians, Indonesians and Cubans. I have been asked questions like, “where is your favorite restaurant” as well as, “How can you live in a country without national healthcare?” Each time I answer questions like these, my prayer has been to not only offer my gifts of hospitality and stewardship but that I also speak with the same voice of unity and peace that we are all here to celebrate.

The challenge of unity in diversity is that no matter where you go or who you are there will always be some reminder of the brokenness of our world, our cultures and our gifts. There is no ideal form of government, no perfect politics of peace, no place that one can say is equal to the Kingdom of God on earth. As a local, I have tried to be honest about this broken reality while also celebrating the unique gifts I have to offer. It has been a blessing for me to serve and I have been blessed by those who in turn have served me in their gracious acceptance of who I am.

At the closing worship service of the Youth Forum, Rev. Neal Presa from Middlesex, NJ shared with us a lesson about unity involving the Greek language. Well, I have my own to share: xenos is the Greek word commonly translated as “stranger” or “visitor.” Most often we encounter its meaning in idioms involving fear and strife or xenophobia. However, its original meaning was ambiguous. It was used to both describe the visitor or stranger as well as the host. There was already in early Greek culture the recognition that to be a good host is to know the stranger, and to be a guest is to “host” those who show you hospitality. I can say that as a steward for the 2010 gathering of the WCRC, I have truly understood what it means to be a xenos.

Mark Hofman from Grand Rapids has been a steward in the Press Room