Hospitality

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

Dear Friends in Christ,

There is more than meets the eye in the Christian virtue of hospitality. The writer of Hebrews, in this Sunday’s lesson, begins a list of virtues first with “Let mutual love continue,” then with a call to show hospitality to strangers. Why does hospitality rank so high in this list? When we think of hospitality, we might think of having friends over for dinner, or of well-planned meals, or artistically beautiful decorations. These features can indeed be part of hospitality, especially when they are done to honor guests and help them feel connected to the hosts and respected by everyone. But these trappings of hospitality are not the core of hospitality.

Hospitality has been a strong value in Middle Eastern culture for centuries. Among nomads, the land was not always friendly, and a traveling culture depended on the mutual support of everyone. If a stranger needed lodging and food, you would provide for him, despite the risk to yourself and your family. Indeed, the strangers welcomed into your tent would be defended like family against their enemies. This is still true in many Middle Eastern cultures, despite being more settled. For first century Christians, strangers could be quite hostile guests—opponents to Christians who could report Christians to the authorities. And yet, Christians were urged to show hospitality to strangers—even those not friendly to them.

The core of hospitality is not pride in a beautiful home or delicious food, as flattering a gift as they might be. The core of hospitality is the self-giving love that Jesus has for us. To show hospitality, we give of ourselves to the other person. We make room for the guest—as we do for our Family Promise guests and for visitors to our pews. We provide generously for our guests to show them unearned and undeserved love, something Christians call “grace,” sharing the same grace God shows to us (the grace he offers to these strangers through us).

Many of Jesus’s experiences have to do with the hospitality shown to him, and the hospitality he shows to others—tax collectors, sinners, strangers that were unlikely friends to a great rabbi. His hospitality is a sign to us of the generosity and grace that we are called to show to others. We don’t abandon who we are or what we believe in order to welcome people into our gatherings, but, from who we are and what we believe (and precisely because of who we are and what we believe), we show generous and sacrificial love to others. Not just for friends or people like us, but for strangers and those different from us as well. Not just at church, but in our homes and lives as well.

God bless you with the virtue of hospitality in your church, in your homes and in your lives.

Yours in Christ,

-Tom