We are fond of sharing our humble home with fellow humans. It’s a common practice in our household. But we didn’t just wake up one morning and, for the first time, decide to invite all those fine people for a meal. Over the years, my wife and I have surrounded ourselves with people seasoned in the art of hospitality. They invited us over when we were young in our married life, then when we only had one child, and they continued to do it as our family increased in numbers. They have refreshed my family and me.
Let’s face it: hosting a family of seven is not for wimps! But yet, they have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable and satisfied. And it takes a whole lot of food to satisfy a family of five hearty men.
It is hard to express the level of gratitude I have for the hundreds of meals prepared out of love and devotion. In turn, we have worked hard at imitating those who practice hospitality so generously. So many times, we didn’t have the mood or energy, but in the end, we all looked with amazement at how God transformed us through the ritual of hosting.
Yet, I am grieved by how the apostles’ imperatives (Heb. 13:2; I Pet. 4:9) are so often overlooked in the evangelical community. I often hear visitors to our congregation and outside our community state with some level of sadness that they have never or rarely been invited by a Christian to someone’s home for a simple meal. Yes, they have probably experienced what we call in the South “Potluck meals,” but that is different from the experience of particularized hospitality the Bible has in mind (general hospitality falls into a different category).
The Church and the individual family miss a genuine opportunity to serve one another, to hear each others’ stories, and give out of the abundance given to us in Christ Jesus. Indeed, hospitality is the overflow of God’s love for us. We host because God has hosted us in his house (Ps. 23). I love the way Lauren Winner describes this in her book, “Mudhouse Sabbath:”
“We are not meant simply to invite people into our homes, but also to invite them into our lives. Having guests and visitors, if we do it right, is not an imposition, because we are not meant to rearrange our lives for our guests – we are meant to invite our guests to enter into our lives as they are.”
What I wish to do in this short series is to encourage you to see how practical and pleasing it is to do hospitality. It doesn’t demand the most expensive wine bottle, nor does it demand the most extroverted host; it only demands a willing heart to see the Gospel made known amid unfolded laundry and wildly active children.
Who can host? The family of seven, the newlywed couple, the single young man, and anyone who can spare some change for a noble cause. For many of you who have never practiced this Christian gift, you can begin small and inexpensively, but what you can’t do is leave it up for the right opportunity. The right opportunity comes when you make it. Begin small, and you will see the joy and celebration that overtakes a house known for its hospitality.
Amen! Amen! Amen!