WE WILL PRACTISE HOSPITALITY AND GENEROSITY
LEARNING AND CARING
How is Jesus Our Example of Christian Hospitality
Jesus ate with sinners throughout His earthly ministry. He received children gladly. He taught us to invite the lowly to parties and to welcome strangers. He prepared breakfast for His wayward disciples, including Peter who had betrayed Him.
Jesus ate with the Emmaus disciples after His resurrection. Before His departure, Jesus said He was going to "prepare a place" for His people. Jesus also instituted the Lord's Supper, giving new meaning to the Passover meal, and told us that He will drink it again with us when "the kingdom of God comes."
Jesus' First Miracle and the Coming Kingdom
Each time Jesus performed a miracle, He gave us a taste of what's coming. In the coming kingdom, there will be no demon-possessed men, no storms to calm, no sicknesses to cure and no tears of the bereaved to wipe.
Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding party. The King gave us a glimpse of the ultimate party to come. Happiness, joy, fellowship and sweet communion with the King awaits His bride.
Christ came to us, to bring us in to the family, at great sacrifice and cost. Now we enjoy the unspeakable privileges of the King's hospitality.
"Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it."
Hebrews 13:2
Following Jesus includes following His practice of hospitality — joyous, authentic, generous, countercultural and hope-filled hospitality.
When Jesus says, "Come follow me," He isn't calling us to offer a class or start a program, but to follow His way of life. And that way includes opening up our homes and lives to others. But before we'll do this, we must open our hearts.
What might be the practical ways to Show Christian Hospitality
1. Welcome everyone you meet. I mean this literally and figuratively. Extend a kind word to everyone you meet, but also, share your time, energy and life with others — especially those who may need you more than you need them. Jesus welcomed strangers and outcasts (see Luke 19:1-10).
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
In the same way that Zacchaeus was a "son of Abraham" and worthy of Jesus' time, the outcasts that you interact with are loved by God and worthy of your time too.
2. Engage people. Engage others with the mindset of being Jesus, not just inviting them to a function at your church
(see Romans 12:13-20).
13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[b] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[c]
This kind of engagement involves a personal connection, not just a "connection" via text or social media — I'm talking about face-to-face interaction.
3. Make meals a priority. Many of Jesus' striking moments occurred around meals. Invite a person to a meal and serve him or her. Pay for the meal if possible, pray for your guest specifically and serve him or her. Use mealtimes to build relationships and talk about things that really matter.
4. Pay attention. We all interact with people at work, at church, at school and in our communities. But how many of these people are outcasts that go unnoticed? Take some time out of your day to stop, look around and show kindness to others. Your uplifting word or kind action may change someone's life forever.
How can showing kindness aid Hospitality
1 Peter 4:9 says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Have you ever watched someone do something because they had to and not because they wanted to? Most of the time people will neither show joy nor gladness when they are doing something simply out of duty. I remember working in the fast-food industry. I served people food all of the time. I was usually doing it out of duty because that was my job. I also found myself complaining about my job sometimes. I wasn’t being hospitable towards my customers at all. Hospitality requires sincerity and kindness. I should have served my customers with the mind-set of “I care about you as a person.”
Hospitality Should Be Shown To Everyone
Leviticus 19:34 says, “You shall not treat the stranger that sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Every single person on this planet deserves love because we have been shown the ultimate love through Jesus’ death and resurrection for our sins. Jesus showed us the perfect model for hospitality because “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Before you and I accepted Christ, He already paid our debt on the cross. He loved us enough to die for us all. I can’t even love someone enough to give them a ride somewhere sometimes. God calls us to love everyone and hospitality goes a long way, especially to those who don’t expect it from us. So, give your co-worker a ride home, even if you don’t know them very well. Share your lunch with other people that have none. Invite some friends over to your house and entertain them. You will plant a seed that God can grow.
——
Proverbs 11:23-26
New International Version
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25 A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.
Proverbs 11:25 declares that “a generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” The apostle Paul echoes this thought to the believers in Jesus in Corinth. He writes to encourage them to fulfill their promise to provide a generous gift for the needy church in Jerusalem: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). He goes on to say, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (vv. 10–11). Our generosity points back to God, who provides all good things (James 1:17). Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
2 Corinthians 9:6-14; Generosity Encouraged
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”[a]
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
When has someone been open-handed with their time or resources with you? How could you do the same for someone in need today?
Gracious God, help me to be tenderhearted toward the needs of others and show me how I can share Your love and generosity with them.
How far does hospitality go?
God calls us to love everyone, including strangers, but you may be doing much more than you thought when you do this.
Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
What a phenomenal passage of scripture! When we show genuine hospitality to a stranger, we may be serving an angel of God. This is absolutely amazing! There are stories of angels appearing before men all throughout scripture, but angels still appear before us today. How amazing will it be when you are in heaven and an angel says, “thank you”, to you because of your hospitality?
Acts 2:40-46
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
â— Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
In the only saying attributed to Jesus in the New Testament outside of the Gospels we are told that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35 NRSV).
This theme appears repeatedly in the Bible, for other examples see:
Proverbs 19:17. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Isaiah 58:7. Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Luke 6:38. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Romans 12:13. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Hebrews 13:16.And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased
Luke 6:27-38
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Conclusion
Hospitality is an action of love shown to those we love and those we do not love. It is contagious and warms the hearts of those it touches. I encourage you to be as hospitable as possible while you are still here on earth. God calls us to it and He deserves our all. God bless you as you continue to live a life worthy of the calling.
â— The result of a life devoted to God is that we will learn, as well as practise, being generous and hospitable. This is an essential aspect of growing in grace.
Hospitality and generosity in Christian discipleship
In a Methodist Way of Life hospitality and generosity are practices by which ‘learning and caring’ are expressed in action. ‘Learning and Caring’, in the context of Our Calling, is focused particularly on Christian fellowship (while ‘Service’ is directed to the world). In Christian fellowship we can support each other as disciples in our sharing, caring, learning and growing together. That includes learning the habits of hospitality and generosity.
We need to translate our knowledge of God into action. Being one in Christ doesn’t just come with words and songs in worship but it also demands sacrifice, and a willingness to encounter another in spite of our own fears and sense of what we lack. See Acts 2:44 – “All who believed were together and had all things in common” (NRSV). Being hospitable and generous calls for equal treatment of all, even when they’re different from us or if we are wary of their culture or origin.
â— Further information
There is a widely quoted African saying that can be translated, ‘a person is a person through other persons’. That can be put more emphatically still: we are truly human only in relationship with others – in generous and hospitable relationships with others. (See the stories below for illustrations of how this may be expressed in practice.)
One of the marks of the earliest Christian church described in Acts 2 is that it demonstrated hospitality and generosity. In Hebrews 13.2 we
are told, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (NRSV).
Stories
A story about hell, and heaven
A man was once taken on a tour of hell and was surprised by what he saw. The inhabitants were all sitting in a dining room, at long tables laden with delicious dishes of food. The air was filled with an exquisite aroma. But the diners’ arms were all tied to slats of wood that kept their arms extended. The poor souls were unable to bend their spoons to their mouths. Hell was filled with the hungry, tortured by the fact that they were so close to the most amazing food imaginable and yet could not eat it.
Then the man visited heaven and found the same scenario. Long tables, hungry souls, strapped arms, unable to bend their hands to their mouths to eat. But there was a profound difference. The souls in heaven sat across from one another, not attempting to feed themselves, but instead feeding the persons sitting opposite them.
The difference between heaven and hell, it might be said, is that the inhabitants of hell are concerned only for themselves. Heaven, on the other hand, is populated with people who spend their time serving each other.
We can likewise make our lives here on earth an extension of heaven or a reflection of hell.
The difference between the two may just be our willingness to forget ourselves long enough to turn our attention outward to those whose stomachs, hearts or souls hunger to be fed.
A story from South Africa
A young man had been held in a detention centre where he had been kept cold and naked for fourteen days. He was suddenly released far from home, without any clothes. It was dusk as he ran from
his captors towards the smoke-filled and dusty township nearby. A middle-aged woman ran out of her dilapidated shack dwelling to cover him with a blanket. As it grew darker, and he continued to run in the direction of home, a kind man offered him a t-shirt and a pair of short grey trousers.
Still clutching the musty blanket, he was stopped by another fatherly figure who offered him food and shelter for the night (in a two-roomed dwelling with his wife and six children). In the morning, on his way to a delivery job, this stranger offered to take him home, a twenty-three mile diversion from his work route. All these people were unknown to the prisoner but all were aware of how things were under the oppressive system in Apartheid South Africa,
and anyone seeing someone in the young man’s situation would respond unquestioningly in offering generous care.
This is my own story. The care and compassion, generosity and selflessness that I experienced at this difficult time contributed to making me the person that I am today. Without the willingness of these people to share of themselves, and to be hospitable to a stranger, I don’t know where my
life’s journey would have taken me. Hospitality and generosity produced a burning heart, willing to heed the call to ‘do all the good I can, by all the means I can and in all the ways I can’ in a world in need of God’s love. That has been, and continues to be, the defining marker for a Methodist Christian to this day!
For reflection...
â— Where is God directing you to practise hospitality and generosity? What holds you back?
â— Reflect on the story of hell and heaven. Is the spoon of your compassion long enough to reach all the way into the lives of the hungry, lonely and lost? How, in your experience, do you see?