How many of you have eaten too much this week? That makes sense, because this is Thanksgiving weekend. You may feel like, “Praise the Lord and pass the Pepto Bismol.” Or if it wasn’t the food, maybe it was that company that came to spend Thanksgiving with you, and with joy you are now singing that wonderful Roy Clark song, “Thank God for Greyhound, They’re Gone!” Today may be the most relaxed you’ve been all week as you are exhausted from a week of entertaining people. Cleaning up the house, doing the food shopping, rolling out the red carpet, -- trying to be the host with the most. But in all of it, you showed hospitality. And, even if you were the one doing the traveling to someone else’s house this week, with Christmas less than a month away, your turn is coming. Company arrives, and with it comes the promise of dirty laundry, extra dishes, your schedule disrupted, your space invaded, your sleep deprived, and the expense of feeding Uncle Charlie. 

Hospitality is expensive. It costs in terms of time, money and energy. And yet, how we treat our guests says a lot about who we are. It speaks volumes about what matters to us. How important are people to you? Are they objects and inconveniences? Or are they unique creations of a loving God? A guest in our home will feel one way or the other. 

Here at Chestnut Level, we really look forward to extending “holy hospitality” to you as we gather for worship this Sunday, and throughout the Advent Season. We will be moving indoors on Sunday, and having both our 8:00 am and 10:30 am worship services inside the Family Life Center (masks required). Of course, we will continue our remote worship at 10:30 am, -- for those who are away, or just choosing to remain at home at this time. We believe we have adequate space to spread people around the multi-purpose room, and keep all of you as safe as possible. And, if things get a bit too cramped in there, we now have a larger television in the Gathering Area of the Family Life Center for people to view the service from there. 

Finally, we are finalizing steps to implement a thorough cleaning of the building before, between, and after the worship services, -- to ensure a safe environment for you to worship our Lord. Staying healthy, safe, well, -- and faithful, is what extending “holy hospitality” also means in these unique times as a church. Have a most blessed Thanksgiving weekend, and see you Sunday!