This past Sunday we talked about hospitality as we examined Genesis 18:1-8 and Matthew 25:31-46. (I recommend reviewing these Scriptures before continuing.) We discussed some key elements to biblical hospitality. Some of those include: a sense of importance/urgency in offering hospitality; providing others with our finest goods rather than saving those for ourselves; being intentional and proactive when offering hospitality to others rather than waiting for them to ask; and Jesus' exertion that hospitality should be extended to include people who are deemed "the least of these", even when doing so breaks social barriers, as Jesus very clearly sides with the "have-nots" of our world.
But what does good Christian hospitality look like in our daily life? How can we make sure that we are showing hospitality in unlikely places, and projecting Christ's love through that hospitality to all whom we meet? Today let's examine some opportunities we have for welcoming the neighbor--lest we accidentally or unintentionally forget our neighbor through offering poor hospitality.
One area where most of us could show better hospitality is on the road. All too often, we fall victim to propagating road rage when we are running behind schedule or another driver is inconsiderate. The only thing road rage accomplishes is keeping anger in your heart and discouraging you from being hospitable to other drivers. Even when it is dark outside, other people can see you and are aware of who you might be; what kind of witness shall we offer the world? What would Christ do behind the wheel? Allowing others to get in front of you, to pass, or to make a difficult turn are all ways to demonstrate hospitality on the road, a place where most of us will end up most days. Note that even though you demonstrate hospitality while driving, that does not make it any more likely for you to receive hospitality--we must not fall victim to the trap of showing anger or frustration to others because we have been treated poorly. Christian hospitality is not based on the graciousness of those receiving it--it is based on the gracious gift of Jesus Christ, who came into our world, humbly, as a servant.
Inviting people to join events and ministries in our church is another great way of demonstrating hospitality. Not an invitation based on fear for hell, of course, but one centered on loving other people enough that you're willing to spend the rest of your life next to them on a pew in church and work together in our community. Inviting others into the life of the church shows hospitality by showing that you are interested in their lives, and you would like to be in a deeper relationship with them. The Gospel is the greatest invitation into hospitality that exists in our world, and when you invite others to your church, you are passing along that same invitation that has existed for thousands of years, an invitation into the very heart of God. But your invitations cannot solely be for people who are similar to you or live very close to you; our hearts must be aching to invite all those whom we encounter in our community, that even those who are completely different in background, ideology or situation would be lovingly welcomed into our congregation. Christian hospitality is not based on fixing other people, "sinners", but is rooted in an ethereal desire to be in a long-term friendship with other people.
When we think about the world we live in, we must realize that we no longer live in a world that is solely based on face-to-face interactions. Our reality is that we exist partially in the physical world and partially in the virtual world, online, through social media, websites and e-communications. And it is such a pity how human beings are willing to treat each other with such malice in this Brave New Online World. When we post on Facebook or Instagram, especially when we "share" memes that make political or ideological statements, (or when commenting on such remarks), we must realize that we are projecting ideas and images that can inadvertently be very painful for others. Taking a very strong stance on any issues online should probably be avoided as such messages will effectively be closing doors to relationships with other people. Hospitality is more important than being "right" on social and political issues, and should dominate the way we think about interacting with other people online. Yes, you have every right to voice your opinion on the internet, but perhaps we should not be exercising that specific right so often. How many times do we post memes that reach out to people who are hurting in various ways, offering them a loving shoulder to cry upon? How often do we comment on news sites offering reconciliation where there is division? Christian hospitality has nothing to do with sharing the same ideas, beliefs or understandings as other people; it is instead rooted in love for other people, even when we understand their beliefs and views to be contrary to our own.
Finally, we can come back to a more obvious area of Christian hospitality, which is providing basic needs to those who live without them. This could include anything such as helping to provide clean water, nourishing food, warm clothing, dignifying education, adequate health care, stable employment, etc. Many ministries of our church are designed to be avenues for you to help contribute, along with all of us, to help provide to other people according to their needs. Providing others' basic needs is at the heart of hospitality, but too often becomes something we hope other people do, rather than take responsibility ourselves. Furthermore, we tend not to give to other people, either because we fear for our own future stability, we wish to adorn ourselves with luxury and wealth, or because we are prejudiced against the poor and feel that they should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. No one has ever become poor and unable to provide for themselves by giving too much away, unless they really wanted to live that life. In general, our giving is shallow and limited compared to the amount and quality of what we could be doing for others. Hospitality can be thought of as the opposite of selfishness: when our world revolves around ourselves, we will take very good care of ourselves and only help others when we suspect that it will bring us a good reputation, better karma, etc. "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" is not a phrase found in the Bible, nor in the witness of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christian hospitality is not rooted in fear for ourselves or spoiling others; instead, it insists upon providing others' basic needs without the assumption of payback, loyalty or even a change of heart. We do not only provide to those whom help themselves, nor do we only assist those who are willing to believe in the Gospel. If this were the case, then none of us would be recipients of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a life-giving and world-altering message that was given to us for free at the highest cost possible.
How are you showing hospitality in your life? How intentional are you about that hospitality?
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