A few days ago, my wife and I reminded ourselves that April 11 marked what would have been her mother's 94th birthday.  A lovely and deeply caring woman, Helen was a beautiful picture of a human being.  Though her immediate world was small (she lived most her life in a little farming town in southwest Arkansas), and her purview blissfully absent of the political and social machinations which seem to trouble so many of us, Helen did her best to love everyone whom she came across, regardless of who or what they were.
     Many decades ago, when my wife and I were getting to know each other, I hitchhiked from rural Texas into her parents' little town to visit.  Although I doubt the town had ever seen a hitchhiker before (!), that didn't stop Helen from extending her most gracious hospitality to me in the course of my time there.  I'll not forget that week.
     As I view the larger world today, I see that we can all learn from being hospitable, in every way.  So many of us try so hard to look after ourselves, expending every effort to carve out our little niche of happiness in this existence, always seeking to maximize ourselves above all.  It's rather Darwinian, really, and I sometimes wonder why, as social science wants to think, humanity ever decided that cooperation was to be preferred over antagonism.  We all want "our" own.
     This is why Jesus' life is so startling.  As he said, "I did not come to be served, but to serve, and give my life as a ransom for many."  Jesus' words present the precise opposite of how most humans frame their lives.  Not that we should not be concerned for ourselves and our loved ones, but that we should remember that because in Jesus, God's love has truly been loosed in this universe, we should be entirely comfortable sharing love and life without worrying unduly about whether we will enjoy them, too.  God's love is endless.
     Thanks, Helen.