Hospitality has a greater purpose than the entertainment of our friends and family who have resources of their own and might be tempted (or rather, obligated) to repay our kindness. Hospitality is our lived out commission, it “gives flesh to the content of the gospel.”
As Christians, we believe that we are to be the embodiment of God’s love to our world and how we do this, practically, is through hospitality. Our world is over-populated with the poor, weak, and marginalized. Basic needs like food, shelter, and safety, can be easily met with the resources of the community, but more importantly, the gift we have to offer is humanity. Many people in our society are passed on the streets without as much as a glance, they are treated as a fixture rather than a human being. We are called and privileged to offer this gift of hospitality, which “can begin a journey toward visibility and respect.” It is always surprising and saddening when another person appears to be shocked that I would take the time to speak with them. It is as if they also believe themselves to be invisible. Hospitality is about sharing our resources to meet the needs of others because we value them and are demonstrating our respect for them as fellow human beings. It is so simple, it’s frightening. Hospitality is simply sharing your life with another; your home, your food, your thoughts, your love, and your presence.
The practice of hospitality helped to foster the Christian conversation and allowed the Good News to be spread not only throughout the land but also through the ages. Needs continued to grow and practices of hospitality have changed in order to accommodate. Institutions were created-hospitals, hospices, and hostels-which are great and serve their purpose but have also enabled the values of hospitality to fade from the home, our sacred space, and so human interaction is reduced to “giver” and “recipient”. These roles are elevating for the one and dehumanizing for the other and so the core value of hospitality is significantly dimmed. In order for hospitality to be recovered in our western society, people, namely followers of Christ, must recognize their responsibility to deny their tendencies to retreat to this sacred space and instead, open it up and offer it to those who have none. This tradition was birthed not just from the culture of the day, but through the humility one lives out of once they recognize that they, too, are recipients of God’s hospitality.
Only so much can be done on the personal, or single home level. Its context and reach grows as it is embodied in the greater community of the church. And it is in this community that limited resources are multiplied and shared. The beauty of the body of Christ is lived out in its enthusiastic offering of grace and love for its neighbor. This offering is done so through the embodiment of a spirit of hospitality. It is not a required task or a burden of choice, but rather an overflow of the heart.
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