Hospitality

Tomorrow one of the girls in our congregation is becoming a teenager. Her parents have planned a day full of activities. She will meet with several of the ladie's from the church throughout the day, who will be speaking to her about different aspects of being a Christian woman.

I will be speaking to her about hospitality. Here's what I came up with to say to her; well maybe not verbatim, but generally:

Hospitality

When I think of hospitality, the first that comes to my mind is: Martha Stewart. Martha is famous for being someone who can cook these wonderful meals and decorate very elaborately. She can tell you how you can have the perfect home, decorated just so where all the furniture goes together and all the colors match. She can show you how to set a beautiful table with beautiful china and real silverware to serve those gourmet meals on.

But this is not an accurate picture of true hospitality. What is hospitality? The word comes from the same Latin root as the words hospital or hospice. These words imply care and shelter.

Webster’s Dictionary: the act, practice or quality of receiving and entertaining guests or strangers in a friendly way.

American Dictionary of the English Language: the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kindness and generosity.

Hospitality is not entertaining (Martha Stewart). True hospitality is having attitude of service; the desire to extend care and concern towards others. Hospitality is not what you have, but it is who you are. It is sitting down and talking with someone, getting to know them, listening to them. It is making someone feel welcome, comfortable, special, loved and cared for. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to extend God’s love to others.

Hospitality doesn’t necessarily mean having someone over for dinner. It could simply be sending a card or letter, or a telephone call of encouragement. Because that says, “I’m thinking of you. I care about you.” So no matter who you are, or how old you are, you can find ways to express love and show concern to others.

The Bible tells us that we are to be hospitable:

1Peter 4:9 Peter wrote: “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” It’s so easy to come up with excuses: My house isn’t big enough; my house is too messy; my dishes don’t match; I don’t know how to cook; I don’t have enough time; etc… We need to change the focus from our house to our guests. Will it really matter to them if everything isn’t perfect? No, it’s not going to matter to them. What’s going to matter is that you cared enough to ask them over, to want to spend some time with them. You cared.

Titus 1: 7-9 Paul included being hospitable as one of those marks of a mature Christian. He is talking specifically about the elders in the church, but this principle applies to all Christians.

Romans 12: 10, 13 Paul says we are to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love; and to be give to hospitality.

The Christian home is a wonderful environment for sharing the message of Christ. By asking someone into your home, you are taking an opportunity to share with them what Christ means in your life. You are showing you care about them and you what to get to know them better.

The bottom line is that God can use people like you and me to touch lives. When we practice hospitality, we have the opportunity to touch lives in an intimate and personal way.

Matthew 25: 35, 36; 40 “…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me some clothing. I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me…Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these…, you did it to me. Jesus Christ.

At the end of the day, there will be a surprise birthday party for her. I think this is a wonderful thing to do for your child as she becomes a teenager!