Hospitality and Simple Gatherings

Hospitality is more than just  entertaining. Jesus’ own table fellowship with sinners and marginalized people displays the power of God’s radical hospitality. Sharing food together enables more than just getting nourishment. It also meets social needs by helping the outsider feel welcome. 

Welcoming strangers, those with different cultures, values, or belief systems, into our lives and listening to their stories can be acts of hospitality. These simple gestures of inclusion and respect, however small, can powerfully reframe social relations and create a welcoming environment.

Hospitality also encompasses spiritual needs. Prayers of healing, gratitude, safe travel and other liturgical practices are common in early Christian texts. Hospitality is not a singular act of welcome as it is a way of life that involves listening, learning, valuing, and honoring others. The hospitable person looks for God’s redemptive presence. Hospitality is a spiritual discipline of opening one’s own life to God’s life and revelation.

Why is Biblical hospitality so hard?

Acts 2 tells us that when people gathered for teaching and the breaking of bread, no one had needs and God increased the number of believers. Romans 12 states it clearly: contribute to the needs of the saints and practice hospitality. In 2 Samuel 9, we see King David welcoming crippled Mephibosheth to eat at his table and in 2 Kings 4, we find the Shunammite widow extending hospitality to the prophet Elijah. 

So if the Word of God is filled with this practice why is hospitality rare in our modern culture? One reason is that we are so busy! Work, church commitments, extra curricular activities for our children, school, PTA, MOPS, volunteering…the list goes on and on and on. But hospitality doesn’t have to be about adding more to your calendar. Instead, think about including people in the activities you’re already doing.

By intersecting with other families in meaningful and consistent ways, we can build relationships and share our faith more naturally. We need to shift our paradigm for evangelism and discipleship from an event to something we can do any moment throughout our day. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where He’s already at work, and join Him there.

What keeps you from practicing hospitality? Are these real problems or things you can fix with some planning and intentionality? What would it look like for you to take a step of faith in this area?

Commit to taking the step of faith the Lord led you to in the Reflection section. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Does your family like to play games? Host a game night for families.
• Do you gather people around a holiday like Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July? Invite some new families to join in the activities you do during those seasons. 
• Do you watch movies as a family? Set up an outside movie night and invite your neighbors. If you have a fire pit, put it to good use by making s’mores. This creates an easy and inviting environment for connection.
• Are there service projects in your church or community? Invite your neighbors to attend something with you and your family. Serving alongside each other is a powerful way to build relationships.
• Are you in a book club? Invite a family member from your Guide Map to join your group? Or even consider starting a book club in your neighborhood.
• Connect with neighbors by hosting Art of Marriage, Vertical Marriage, No Perfect Parent discussion groups