Psalm 23:5 You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
A Parable and a Zen Story
Henry Nouwen, in his book Reaching Out, helps us to move from 'hostility' to 'hospitality'. It's not too easy. He advises, in the words of the parable, to not worry about our needs. That's not easy either. To illustrate how we might go about it he tells us the story of a Zen master:
Nan-in, a Japanese Zen master during the Meiji era (1868-1912) received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and kept pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
For all of Isaiah's talk about punishment of both foreign and domestic hostility, both his and Christ's vision of the Kingdom of God is one of overwhelming hospitality. Nouwen continues,
To convert hostility into hospitality requires the creation of the friendly empty space where we can reach out to our fellow human beings and invite them to a new relationship. Just as we cannot force a plant to grow but can take away the weeds and stones which prevent its development, so we cannot force anyone to such a personal and intimate change of heart, but we can offer the space where such a change can take place.
Following Dr Nouwen's advice is perhaps harder than we like to consider, but not following it is to ignore the lessons of both the prophet and the Messiah. Agree?
Prayer: Father God, truly our cup does overflow. Help us to empty ourselves of pride and self-importance so that you have room to fill us with the joy of the relationships for which we were born in your image. Amen.
Ross Stuntz
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