I want tell you about the greatest mother I met on our recent trip to Belgium:
We travelled using Air B&B, and at the risk of sounding like a commercial for them, we loved it. Air B&B is an online company that lets anyone become a host, if they have a spare room, a spare bed, a spare couch, even. Everything is up front, you read reviews of hosts, and it makes traveling, especially in Europe, affordable -- $40, $50/night. We had never used Air B&B but had hear good things, so I booked all our lodging before we left, which was fun to do. Most of the people we stayed with were younger couples. But when I was looking at where to stay in Bruges, Belgium, I saw this picture of a woman who looked like Margaret Sunde. She was happily holding a baby, undoubtedly a grand-baby, in her profile picture, and the accommodations looked just right too: simple bed, a sink. Her name was Jacqueline, and she had literally hundreds of reviews. I got tired of scrolling through them and reading all the great things about this woman, so I just booked it, paid for 3 nights up front, and my lodging work for Bruges was finished.
Fast forward to our arrival. We got to Bruges (and everywhere, for that matter) by train. We had been staying in Ghent the night before, and we almost missed our bus to the train, because we were having so much fun in Ghent. But we made it, and like all our stays, we planned to walk from the train station to our lodging. Bruges and its cobblestone streets were no exception to earlier experiences: I had a little backpack, and Heather had a medium rolling suitcase. We laughed, taking turns pulling her suitcase on cobblestone. [clank, clank, clank] (Bruges, unlike some other cities we had visited, seemed used to that.) Our directions were just pictures of maps that I had taken on my phone.
We’re making our way, and finally we arrive at wonderful Jacqueline’s house. Immediately we realize, this is much more like a real B&B, not just someone’s house. We had been texting with her to coordinate on our arrival time, and so Jacqueline was there to welcome us at the door.
She still looked a little like Margaret to me, but people never look quite like their profile pics. She was older and more frail, in body, than I had imagined. Still, she was very kind and energetic.
I’ll never forget when she invited us to follow her upstairs where our room was, on the third floor: she grabbed Heather’s suitcase to carry it for her. She was too fast for me to insist, “I got that, Jacqueline.” I said that anyway, and she said, “No, no, I have to do this, it keeps me healthy.” She shows us our quarters. Just like the picture: bed, sink, little hanging closet, shower and toilet downstairs, and the dining room. It was just right for us. “Now, do you take coffee or tea?” was one of her first and only questions. I take coffee, Heather takes tea. Then we notice on the wall a map of the world, with pins, different colors and from all over the world. These were all her guests from over the 20+ years. We chit-chat just for a second, and find out she’s born and raised in Bruges, a teacher as well as a grandma. And she speaks about 5 different languages. But she’s not one to slow us down. “There’s still daylight,” she says, and points us to a tourist map for our convenience. She makes sure there’s nothing else we need, and disappears. Very kind, very efficient and energetic, very open obviously to all kinds of guests. Once again: a glimpse of God.
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What does our passage from Romans have to do with my travel stories and this wonderfully hospitable Belgian mama, on Mother’s Day? Nothing -- I just wanted to tell you a story :)
No, I think Jacqueline gives us a glimpse of God, who pours out love and care, in simple but efficient ways: hospitality and energy, a readiness to serve, but also to send you out. Jacqueline was eager for us to see her city. One more thing: wi-fi password. Doh, I forgot to ask her, and she had just left! So I text her, no big deal. About 6 minutes later we hear the door open downstairs and the quick footsteps echoing all the way up to our room. Our door was still open, and she sticks her head in, smiles, pulls our door shut, just enough to reveal a huge sign with our wi-fi name and password. No words, no shaming, just a smile, and she runs out again.
Jacqueline made it evident that if there was anything we needed, she’d be right there to attend to it. I wasn’t really thinking about God, at the moment, we were experiencing all this. I remember we just kept saying, “Man, she’s got hosting down to a science.” But now, just a month later, we get that great part of the trip to reflect back. To theologize.
Where have you experienced a glimpse of God, through a person who was there for you? Who has poured out grace for you? Great question to ask on Mother’s Day. (And we should simply name and remember, that it may not be a mother. For many, Mother’s Day is a hard day -- for any number of reasons.) But who is it then, for you, who offers you a glimpse of God’s love? In other words, where have you experienced true motherly love, if not from your own mother? Our God has just as many motherly attributes as fatherly.
And Paul gives us descriptions of that in this passage to the Romans: a God who pours love into our hearts. A God who makes sacrifices for us. [pause] Katie, God bless her, in her Mother’s Day card from school, talked about all the things her mommy does that she loves and is thankful for -- and they all had to do with sacrifices, really. Our God takes care of those everyday needs -- snacks and naps and wi-fi pass codes.
“I’m here if you need anything,” God says to us, too. And this God is willing to lug our baggage, before we can even pick it up ourselves. “Nope, nope, I have to do this.”
Suddenly, it’s hard to tell if I’m quoting Jacqueline or God...
“And you are welcome here. But there’s a great city to see too. I’ll get out of your way. Please. Come and go, as you like. Explore, venture into new places, here’s a map. I’ll have coffee for you in the morning. Let me know if there’s anything you need.” Suddenly, it’s hard to tell if I’m quoting Jacqueline or God...
And all this activity, all this “hosting” that God offers us...ultimately grants us peace. To know that God’s got it. To know that if there’s anything we need... To know that many others have come and gone from this place, and God’s been able to speak their language too. To know that we have a world to explore, and to care for, and to connect with...
Paul’s passage talks about suffering. When we go out on the streets, we’re not guaranteed a life free of pain. Following Jesus does not make all our sorrows go away in this life. But suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. If you travel, as many of you have, you know some things can go wrong (those are stories for another sermon :), but in the end, we have hope. And ultimately, ultimately we have peace.
Here’s one difference: With Jacqueline we paid a little bit; with God, it’s free.
We walk, not alone: God goes with us, sisters and brothers in Christ. God is with us on our journeys. Always there, even and especially in our suffering. And that same God forgives us, reconciles us, and frees us to keep on going, until at last we come back home. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
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