Dear St. Paul’s Family,
By the end of our brief visit to New York City two weeks ago, we were ready to return to the wide open spaces and familiar faces of Iowa. Younger daughter Madelyn, who can be crowd averse and a bit wary of strangers when she’s tired, was particularly ready to head home.
The night before our early morning flight, she confessed to me that that riding in a taxi to the airport in the middle of the night worried her. At 5:00am, I flagged down a taxi outside our hotel, and the girls and I clamored into the back seat. I held Madelyn’s hand.
We looked around the cab’s interior and noticed some unusual items in the front seat. Framing the top of the Plexiglas separator was a long evergreen branch, and a sprig of English ivy outlined the bottom. Wrapped around the driver’s headrest was a stuffed toy monkey, with its face and winsome smile positioned toward us.
Just a few blocks into our trip, our cab driver broke the silence to introduce himself as Boharem, a native of Bangladesh. I complimented him on the plants in his cab - - a feeble attempt to return his gracious self-introduction with some small talk. Little did I know that it would launch him into a veritable “Better Homes and Gardens” tour of his taxi cab.
He held up a small glass vase containing another flowering plant. “It’s an orchid,” he said.
Then, one by one, he held up additional objects as he drove, pulling them from his front seat as if from nowhere. “These are two of my goldfish that I decided to bring with me on my shift,” he said, holding up a small spherical bowl containing his swimming companions. “They looked like they could use a fun little ride around the city.”
It was like riding in a mobile Vaudeville magic act. I looked at the girls, who returned their glance at me. We were both baffled and amused. I realized then where the word bemused comes from.
Boharem turned on a CD recording of soft, instrumental Bangladeshi music. “Is this too loud?” he asked?
“No, it’s quite nice.” I responded. “You’ve really created a cozy environment in your cab. Is it because it helps you stay calm during your long, hectic shifts driving through New York traffic?”
“No, that’s not why,” he chuckled. “When people come into my cab, I want people to feel like they are coming into my home. I want them to feel welcome, just as if they were visiting my house. I want them to be comfortable.”
“You know,” he continued. “People in the city get stressed. They are in a hurry. They are worried about something. I want to give them a break when they ride in my cab.”
He pulled another object from his front seat and pushed it through the partition window. “Here, smell this.”
It was a glass jar containing a scented candle from the Yankee Candle Company. It said, “Green Grass” on the label.
“It brings back memories of my parents, from my childhood home in Bangladesh. Do you like it?” I passed it to the girls, who each took a deep sniff. They nodded their heads.
We chatted for the duration of our trip to LaGuardia Airport, as he told us stories about growing up in Bangladesh, living in New York City, and driving a taxi for almost twenty years. Every once in a while, he’d show us another home accessory in his cab, and asked us throughout the trip if we were comfortable.
At one point, I leaned over to Madelyn and asked her, “Are you still feeling nervous about riding in a taxi in the middle of the night?”
“No, she said. “He seems really nice.”
THE GIFT OF HOSPITALITY
There are over seventy commands and stories in the Bible related to hospitality. Though it is not nearly as well known as the higher profile commandments, the call to hospitality is one that appears in every major section of the Bible (Torah, History, Wisdom, Prophets, Gospel, and Epistles), as well as every major genre of biblical literature (narrative, poetry, instruction).
Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34)
Open your homes to each other without complaining. (1 Peter 4:9)
Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. (Romans 12:13)
Make no mistake: caring for strangers, making visitors feel welcome, and putting guests at ease is a vital part of our calling. We are to practice hospitality in every aspect of our lives, from creating a welcoming environment at the church for visitors, to opening our homes and businesses to fellows and strangers alike.
In a mere twenty-five minute cab ride from Queens to LaGuardia Airport, our taxi driver Boharem impressed me as a man who practiced a radical kind of hospitality that made an impressionable difference in young Madelyn, and subsequently the three of us. Consider how you, too, have the same capacity to make a profound difference in the lives of unsuspecting strangers, with even the smallest token of grace and openness.
Every time you:
· Serve as a greeter at the doors of the campus and the sanctuary, and extend a warm smile to people who come to worship,
· Purposely seek out new faces during the service rather than greet the people you already know,
· Transform your work space – and your attitude about your work – as an outpost for welcoming the public,
· Learn the names of your neighbors, greet passers-by with cordial smiles, exercise patience and gentleness when waiting in lines, and perform random acts of kindness to strangers with no expectation of reward,
You practice the gift of hospitality.
No, you don’t have to turn your taxi cab into a mobile home. But you can find a unique way to open up your life to the guests around you.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
EAT PANCAKES! FIGHT MALARIA!
St. Paul's UMC is hosting a pancake luncheon on April 28, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, in the upper level of the community center, and the proceeds from the free will offering will help combat malaria through the Imagine No Malaria program (www.inmiowa.org). Sign up in the narthex or the church office to help out throughout the day. Enjoy a bite of pancakes, and stop the bite of malaria!
DISTRICT CONFERENCE APRIL 28
In addition to the Pancake Luncheon, Bishop Julius Trimble will be paying his annual visit to the Northwest District on April 28. He will be joining us for the luncheon, then preaching at the District Conference taking place in our sanctuary at 2:00pm. If you would like to serve as a greeter to welcome United Methodists from across Northwest Iowa, contact the church office.
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