Wednesday, December 9

Betty Iwan, Elder

In her final book, Just Hospitality: God’s Welcome in a World of Difference, Yale Professor Letty Russell “advanced the metaphor of hospitality as a useful tool for Christian interaction with a world of ‘riotous difference.’ Far beyond the image of church ladies laying out coffee and donuts for an after-church reception, just hospitality is a radical welcoming of the ‘others,’ a full recognition of the humanity of people who are particularly different than oneself or one’s homogenous ‘category.’... Just as God welcomes all people to God’s table, Christians must imitate this broad acceptance, both welcoming and being welcomed.” (Quoted from a review by Kate A.K. Blakely published7/17/2009 in The Englewood Review of Books)

I met Letty Russell at the first More Light Conference of Presbyterians held in Rochester, NY in the early ‘80’s. She was the keynote speaker. I was a member of the organizing team and new to the More Light ministry. I feared that the theme of welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people to the table was not “exciting” enough to draw a respectable number of participants. How wrong I was!

People were hungry to hear from Letty that the church must welcome GLBT persons into its life and ministry if it is to be a faithful follower of Christ. This was exciting and radical news indeed to many who had been told that the Presbyterian Church did not welcome them and their gifts.

Thirty years later, we are still trying to get it right. We are still trying to amend the Presbyterian Book of Order so that it reflects “just hospitality” for all people. Letty gave us all hope that the church could change. I am sorry that she did not live long enough to witness that change when it comes.

Dear radical and loving God, you welcome all people to your table. You do not discriminate based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation or any other human condition. We should not either. Help us in our own lives and in our religious and secular institutions to imitate your “radical welcoming” of “others.” Amen.