Written by Rianna Elmshaeuser, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Ro 12:13 NIV)
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Heb 13:2)
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1Pe 4:9)
As a child, whenever I thought of hospitality, I would think of having people over for a nice meal, good conversation, and dessert. My parents did this often and I loved sitting and listening to the adults tell stories and laugh with each other. As an adult in a city with absurdly high housing prices, I cannot afford a home large enough to have more than one person over at a time. I do have a large backyard and on nice summer evenings, I can accommodate a larger group, but mostly I’m limited in this form of hospitality.
The good news for me is that there are other forms of hospitality and I think that is what the Bible is conveying more than merely having someone come to your house. Jesus did not have a home to invite people over for dinner either. In fact, he often needed a place to stay for himself and his followers, yet Jesus is the ultimate picture of hospitality. The Greek word used in Romans 12:13 for hospitality means “love of a stranger.” I know many people who open their homes and are excellent hosts for small group meetings, dinners, and game nights. In contrast, you may have been invited to the house of a person in which you did not feel welcome or comfortable. There are many reasons I have felt uncomfortable in a home, including it was so clean I was scared to step off the welcome mat, their spouse sat in their recliner the whole time smoking and playing Tetris (true story), no food or drink was offered, or the conversation was tense and awkward.
It is clear, from these scenarios, merely opening your home to others is not hospitality. Webster’s dictionary defines hospitality as “offering a pleasant or sustaining environment or being readily receptive.” There is much more to being hospitable than I initially thought. I have a friend who makes everyone who enters her home feel loved, safe, and comfortable. Her home is clean but not fancy. She welcomes you with a big smile and usually has it set up so you can help yourself to a snack or drink. There is an indescribable air of warmth and acceptance. A large part of the welcoming feeling in my friend’s home is her personality.
I may not be able to have gatherings at my home, but I can take the feeling of acceptance, warmth, and love with me wherever I go. Jesus had this same quality. For example, when a woman was thrown at his feet by a crowd demanding her brutal death, Jesus got down on her level. When the mob receded and it was just the two of them left, He spoke to her with love and forgiveness. Again, when He met a woman at a well with a long history of sin, He spoke with her, took the time to know her, and offered her more than she could ever dream; the living water of God’s love. Time and again, Jesus greeted the outcasts, degenerates, and poor with respect, love, and a spirit of hospitality. Hospitality is loving strangers like Jesus did; truly seeing them and being hospitable to their person.
Our church buildings are also places where great hospitality can be shown. How shameful if a visitor joins us as we worship God and feels unwelcome or unseen. The gathering of the church should be a place where the lost, hurting, discouraged, and faithful feel safe, feel loved, and feel welcome. In today’s society, Christians have a reputation as judgmental hypocrites. I used to find this offensive, but experience has taught me that this reputation is not wholly unmerited. In my experience, the central focus of too many sermons has been on sin and bringing sinners to repentance. I think a little more hospitality might go a long way towards bringing the lost to Jesus than a fiery sermon. After all, when Jesus spoke to the lost, He had great compassion and mercy. He reserved His harshest sermons for the religious leaders who were oppressing the people with their man-made laws rather than acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with their God (Mic 6:8).
Sisters, let us be committed to showing hospitality, offering a pleasant or sustaining environment or being readily receptive, wherever we go.