Knitting Hearts Gathering on March 14, 2020
Here are Tiffany’s notes from March Knitting Hearts… she said: “Hope this encourages someone to reach out to those around them and practice biblical hospitality.”
BIBLICAL HOSPITALITY- His People as His Temple
INTRO:
One of the most unique things about the country where I serve is the hospitality of the people. They are warm, welcoming, and sacrificial…and not just for their own families or friends. The warmest welcome extended is often the foreigner among them. Local people in that country relish the opportunity to make a new acquaintance and have them in their home. Mountain bikers, who frequently the country tell tales of biking through mountain passes and being fed and boarded by local villagers whom they met along their ride. I can personally attest to walking down the street and being invited into 3-4 homes for tea in a matter of minutes- not just by people I know, but by complete strangers. In that country, there is always time for tea. Interestingly, though people will dress nicely and put on airs just to go to the market, they never let a messy home or chipped china keep them from entertaining guests. It’s a beautiful thing really, the importance and priority that hospitality is given.
But for me, a westerner, who is driven by plans and schedules and productivity, unplanned, uninvited, spur-of-the-moment, hospitality was not my strong suit. It stretched me to stop and receive guests in the middle of my daily routine, and honestly even to take advantage of the invitations I was given to “come in and have some tea” But as I leaned into this uncomfortable realm of true hospitality, I discovered that it had so much to teach me about relationship, love, and the beauty of being with people. So I began to search and see what the Bible had to say about the subject of hospitality.
BIBLICAL HOSPITALITY
The Greek word for hospitality that is used in the Bible is philoxenia which literally means lover of strangers. It is used 2 times in the noun form of hospitality and 3 more times in the adjective form to describe the characteristic of a believer. Let’s look at the three times where hospitality is commanded of believers in the NT:
- Rom 12:13, NIV “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Here in the midst of a famous chapter about how we ought to act as believers, this verse about hospitality is tucked inside. It is found in the context of verses that talk about blessing those who persecute you, feeding your enemy, and overcoming evil with good. The heading for this section in one translation I read was called Love in Action- and I think that is a great way to describe hospitality as well- Love in Action. The word Practice here actually means “pursue” in the Greek. This is a continual action that we must take.
- Heb 13:2, NIV “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Here at the end of the book of Hebrews, the writer is giving some final exhortations to the church. He tells them to keep on loving each other and then he gives that command. Followed by one to visit the imprisoned. The focus again seems to be on love- for those in our circle, and those outside of it.
- THE IMPRISONED– culturally we don’t understand because our prisons are so different. But Tajiks get it. When a family member is imprisoned, they must take them food in order for them to be able to eat.
- 1 Peter 4:9 NIV, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
This verse reminds us that the motives of our hospitality must be pure. We ought to do this from a heart or desire not begrudgingly. Interestingly, if you look at the larger context of this verse- including the preceding chapter and the verses that follow, there is much talk about suffering for Christ. And in the midst of this discussion about a depraved world, and how we should not be surprised if we suffer for Christ, there is this section of verses about being hospitable and using our gifts to serve each other.
So, what then is Biblical hospitality? In reading an article in Christianity Today from this past August, I came across this statement:
“True hospitality is a cultural expression of other-oriented kingdom living. It transcends regional expectations of gourmet performance and focuses its energies on the blessing of honest and sincere relationships. It isn’t concerned with projecting an image of manicured lives devoid of stress, mess, and chaos. Instead, biblical hospitality flips the camera lens from a selfie to a wide-angle, pointed outward toward the lives of others, warmly inviting them into ours.”
But WHY? Why do we need to be hospitable, and particularly, why all this focus on the foreigner, the enemy, the out cast. I’m certainly not very comfortable throwing a dinner party where the guest of honor is my arch- nemesis, are you? But that’s the point isn’t it? Jesus is asking us to step outside our comfort zone, to be inconvenienced, to lay down our pride. WHY? SO that others may KNOW HIM!
To See this clearly, let us look to the Old Testament:
- Lev 19:33-34 NIV [33] ” ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. [34] The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Here God is commanding that the Israelites practice hospitality to the foreigners living among them. That they be treated as equals. Why? Because they were once foreigners in Egypt and God had rescued them. They now were to extend that same grace. In fact there were lots of laws about how foreigners were to be treated. This was all so that the foreigners might experience the grace and love of God and be brought into his family. After all the very premise of the Abrahamic covenant was that He would be made into a great nations SO THAT all the nations of the world would be blessed through him!
Here are four characteristics that distinguish biblical hospitality from entertainment:
- Entertainment Impresses. Hospitality Blesses.
The first distinction between entertainment and hospitality is one of orientation. It answers the question: “Who is the center of attention?” If I am the center of attention, then my goal is to impress those who enter my orbit. I want them to leave spellbound by me—my wisdom, my ability to manage life, my winsomeness, the obedience of my children, or the cleanliness of my house.
- Entertainment Stresses. Hospitality Savors.
The second distinction between entertainment and hospitality is one of aspiration: It answers the question: “What is my purpose?” The effort required to impress is immense because, let’s be honest, few of us are really that impressive. So, we fake it.
- Entertainment Babbles. Hospitality Listens.
The third distinction between entertainment and hospitality is one of communion. It answers the question: “How is intimacy being fostered?” Those who seek to entertain feel the pressure to fill the silence by incessantly babbling about themselves, their conquests, their children’s performance, or their remarkable experiences. Conversations rarely move below surface subjects but keep everything shallow and safe. After all, how entertaining are problems?
- Entertainment Excludes. Hospitality Honors.
The final distinction between entertainment and hospitality is one of inclusion. It answers the question: “Who, right now, is in need of Jesus’ love?” If I’m seeking to entertain, some people are simply not worth the effort. They are too “other” to pursue.
There are no exceptions or excuses. You are not too poor, too shy, or too busy. Your home is not too small, your social-circle is not too tight. None of us are exempt from the ministry of hospitality, because it’s really just a ministry of relationship. “A simple glimpse at the life of our Savior demonstrates that this was one of his primary means of ministry. All without a home of his own. Welcoming others. Eating with them. Listening to their story. Ministering to their pain. Holding out the invitation of the kingdom. May we rediscover and follow his example….”
Be it across the street or across the ocean.
Hearts United Women's Ministry 