When is a crowded house a great thing?

CROWDED HOUSES IN WORCESTER, MA – MISSIONAL COMMUNITY IN ACTION

"It is so important to love your neighborhood and its culture…We at The Crowded House say: We are committed to blessing our neighborhoods and cities – redressing injustice, pursuing reconciliation and welcoming the marginalized. We celebrate the diversity of cultures in our local contexts while recognizing the need for gospel renewal. We encourage one another to glorify God and serve others through the workplace, business, community projects, government and artistic endeavor.” – Tim Chester

Oftentimes, a crowded house can be overwhelming. While celebration was the original intention, now you have spent all this time in preparation for a get together, and then, without warning, the unexpected occurrences, family members, and guests take over. You realize things are not going "according to plan." Because the original plan was everything adding up to fun and comfort. Your fun and comfort. Only those two allowed. 

But now you find some people you'd rather be spending more time with than others; and then there are some people maybe you'd rather they headed out early. Real early. Some guests follow you around and invade your space relentlessly; others know how to give you too much space and you wonder what's wrong. Equilibrium, personal happiness, creative control all go flying out the window...and then the time is over and the fall out is left for you to stare at in a glazed over haze. Maybe you'll do this again. Next year.

But what if our original intention was simply to get people together regularly no matter the time or outcome? What if our plan was to be hospitable to every guest regardless of the mess? What if our goal involved inviting people we don't know to meet people we do know, from the top of our street to the bottom, from our workplaces and places of relaxation – no prejudices or biases based on status, ethnicity, or relation? What if we began to show generosity to those who could never repay us, celebrating them for who they are – that we even have the opportunity to interact with them and possibly connect?

Let's focus the attention on me and my family. What would it look like for our house to become a crowded house where reconciliation, renewal, and redemption happened regularly? What kind of meals would we serve and who would be invited? Who might we see inside and what would we be doing? And, let's be honest, where does a vision for a house like this come from in the first place? It's often not mine. But what if, at the good cost of my current intentions, plans, and goals for my home shifting to something other-focused, the Sullivan crowded house became more like the one Chester describes above? How beneficial could it be for my family, neighborhood, town, and city if we began to create community in this way? 

"...(Jesus) turned to His host. 'When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,' He said, 'don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.' Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, 'What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!'" – Luke 14:12-15

– Sully

If your curiosity is piqued, or something inside you is being stirred, feel free to connect.