Have you considered how hospitality and love go together like a teacup and saucer? Both can stand along, yet one without the other is not complete. Hospitality offered without love leaves your guests feeling cold. A teacup without a saucer can be filled, yet the cup and spoon have no place to rest properly. Two women who come together through biblical hospitality for a cup of tea will usually find their cups being filled to overflowing with love and sweet moments of rest.
The Christmas season is a time when we find little rest as we attend and host various holiday events and family gatherings. However, it’s in the hustle and bustle of the holidays that we especially need to carve out moments of rest for ourselves and with family and friends. We need to plan for “spontaneous moments” and prepare for “special moments.” Most importantly we need to pray and ask God to help us open our hearts and our homes for a special time to share “a cup of celebration.”
What are some ways we can open our hearts and homes for those spontaneous and special moments? For spontaneous moments, have a special corner on your kitchen counter or in your dining room with a tray that holds holidays cups and saucers, small teaspoons, a variety of teas in a small basket and special sugars. Most importantly, have your stove tea kettle or electric tea kettle waiting in anticipation.
A special moment could be to offer your family and friends a time to come together for “A Cup of Celebration.” I have done this in a variety of ways. One is to simply offer an invitation to come and join me for a cup of Christmas tea and reading Tom Hegg’s book, A Cup of Christmas Tea. We then sit back and share blessings, and yes, even trails, from the past year. It is truly a time of resting and refreshing.
Another way to share time together is to have an annual open house. A friend recently commented on how much she and her daughter look forward to this event. Just to visit, share the fire, sip a cup of tea, and enjoy the warmth of a hug and friendship.
Christmas is a wonderful time to open your heart and your home for “a cup of celebration.” We have a wonderful opportunity, through a cup of tea, to share the true meaning of Christmas. I encourage you to fill your cup with the Living water and stir your world with a spoon heaped with God’s immeasurable love.
This article first appeared in The Proverbs 31 Newsletter, December 2003.