Just come to the table (you don't have to set it)

There's just something about the table metaphor that gets me all misty. Maybe it's that I love to include people in the celebrations in my life. Perhaps I secretly wish to someday be the hostess of a Martha Stewart-like party, a real whizbanger of a soiree. But really, whether it's communion, friends sharing a meal, the welcoming of a stranger or a big celebration, the table idea holds alot of power for me. Officially, the party line of our family practice is that we want our home to be a welcoming, nurturing place for anyone who enters. We want the love (you know, the energy, the chi, the vibe) our guests sense to be about us welcoming and accepting them in the spirit of Christ. I think this is true of Blakemore as well. But, aha! Therein lies the problem of me sometimes forgetting it's about the spirit of Christ! I mean, what if things aren't done just right or something isn't ready or is doesn't go perfectly or it's not big enough or...
I'm confronted socially and spiritually by this simple practice of hospitality. Could it be that while I'm trying too hard to make a space presentable enough for a guest or stranger (Christ hinmself?) I miss out on the hospitable piece althogether? Further, could I be trying so hard to "clean up" enough to present myself to God, that I miss Him entirely in the simple everyday spaces created for someone to be hospitable to me? Why is it slightly surprising to me that it's not always me in charge of hospitality?
I'm grateful for this little space to share and practice our faith together.
Kristi