I remember it just like it was yesterday. I was in my early 20’s, a seminary student, and one very sad individual. My mother had a died a little more than a year ago and my girlfriend, who I had in my mind I would one day marry, had just broken up with me. It was the week before Thanksgiving and I was very lonely. I made a call to a family I had met the previous summer while interning at a church and they invited me to come to their home for the holiday. It was a time that significantly shaped my life. I remember feeling so “at home” there, as if I were part of their family. They practiced hospitality well.
There have been many stories in recent days of people practicing hospitality for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, taking in family members, friends from afar, and total strangers, all people with needs. Sometimes we have the misunderstanding that hospitality is all about welcoming people into our homes or apartments and putting on a show—a gourmet dinner, a birthday party, etc.—things that entertain your guests. But in reality, the biblical one at least, hospitality is about meeting needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
We recently hosted five international students for dinner. They all had just arrived in the States a few weeks ago. They didn’t have any physical needs, but while sharing prayer requests, it was obvious they had emotional and spiritual ones-homesickness, loneliness, and even fear. Our home, the attention we gave them, provided some comfort during the challenging time of adjusting to a new culture. They, like me so many years ago, felt loved and no longer alone.
That is the power of hospitality and why Paul and the other Apostles commanded its practice. In the 1st Century, Christians had a lot of needs. They were often persecuted and oppressed. Hospitality served as a way to both protect them and encourage them, as it has done down through the centuries for followers of Jesus. While we in the West do not suffer persecution of the magnitude of our Christian forebears, or modern-day believers living in nations hostile to the faith, it does not mean the practice of hospitality is any less needed.
Loneliness, depression, and anxiety are increasing hallmarks of our culture, contributing to the rise in suicide rates. Along with natural events such as wild fires, earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes, hospitality still is necessary to meet needs.
Today, consider people in your life who could benefit from your hospitality. Regardless of your living situation, even living in a dorm room, your space can become a welcome haven for someone in need. It is amazing what a warm, welcoming environment, along with good food, drink and conversation, can do for someone in need. I know because I experienced it and it helped to change my life.
© Jim Musser 2017
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