In the Old Testament, the word “hospitality” never appears. The people of Israel had an identity of being former slaves, wanderers, and people who had to fight to establish and maintain a home in Canaan. Because they viewed themselves as strangers, there may not have been much thought given to the concept of hospitality.
In the New Testament, the word for hospitality makes a few more appearances. Paul writes of his appreciation for the hospitality that others have shown him, and both Peter and Paul encourage Christ’s followers to practice showing hospitality to others.
Hospitality is probably an underappreciated art. We don’t think too much about how we will welcome people into our homes, or how we will make room or time to focus our attention on someone else. We meet friends in restaurants or malls. We go someplace together. Even when we worship, we go to a common place, a church building, to spend time with others.
On Sunday, August 7, our church hosted an event following the Share the Rock basketball camp. We planned an outdoor worship service, a barbecue lunch, and a recognition ceremony for those who participated in the basketball camp. When I arrived at church that Sunday morning, I was overwhelmed when I saw all of the people who were working to make this day special. People were testing the sound equipment, adjusting tents, setting up tables and chairs, preparing food, and carrying beverages to make our church a welcoming environment for our anticipated visitors. If that wasn’t enough, once the rain rolled in, and interrupted our plans, people stepped up to move the food downstairs, set up more tables and chairs, cover the sound equipment, and work to adjust our plans to the weather.
It is easy to take these kinds of efforts for granted. When you go to an event that runs smoothly, you probably don’t pay a lot of attention to the work that has been done to set up and plan the details, but the work is almost essential in order to make people feel welcomed.
The work of hospitality is an effort to make outsiders feel welcome. It can happen very simply when you are standing in a circle, and intentionally move so that someone else can join the conversation. It happens when you set an extra plate at your table to welcome a last minute visitor to supper. It happened last Sunday when many worked so that visitors to our church would know that they are welcomed and valued by God’s people.
God’s work of salvation is largely the work of hospitality. Jesus told His disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them. His sacrifice allows us to enter God’s presence. Even when we remember His death for our sins, we symbolize this by gathering at a table. All of this reminds us that God is one who goes to great lengths to welcome us to Himself.
One final thought about hospitality: When Jesus tells his disciples about the last days in Matthew 24, one of the criteria for separating the sheep from the goats is evidence of practicing hospitality. He indicates that those he knows have welcomed strangers, fed the hungry, given clothes to those who were naked, and showed kindness to those who were imprisoned. It seems as though when we follow and love Christ, the act of hospitality becomes a natural overflow of loving Him.
I want to thank those who volunteered to make the worship service on August 7 a special event. I was thrilled to see so many serving to welcome others to our church family.
