Show Hospitality - This means You!

Show Hospitality

Reflections from Hebrews 13

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 NIV

One vet that got saved through the ministry of TLC was a guy named Joey.  His heart was as wide as the ocean in the way that he cared for people.  He never met a stranger, because he was talking to them immediately as if they had been friends for a long time.  It was through Joey that we now have a Muslim friend named Jamal from Yemen, but that is another story.

We get a call from Joey telling us he is travelling from Texas to Meridian and he has picked up a hitchhiker.  He told the hitchhiker if he could make it to Tuscaloosa he should call us and we would feed him and give him a place to stay.  Really?  Joey went on to tell us, he is no ordinary person and that we would like him.  Later, we did get a call, but Pam and I were both busy.  We connected him with a couple of young adults from our church to feed him until we were free.

Uriah was a young single adult backpacking across the US starting from Washington state. He farms corn with the family and has a break during the winter months, so he decided to travel on foot.  He believed that God would take care of him.  If he had to sleep outside he was prepared.  But he most enjoyed connecting with individuals everyday who gave him a lift or shared some food.  He would take the opportunity to share about his life and his love for God.  He had a brother in Huntsville that he was working toward meeting.  He stayed in our home for a day and a half before Pam took him to the truck stop for his next ride.  Eventually, his travels took him to Israel where he worked on a farm and a vineyard.  God truly does take care of his messengers.

How can you get better at being hospitable?

First, this passage was written to believers at a time of intense persecution. It was very common for followers of Jesus to be travelling…sometimes escaping from another town.  The writer is reminding the Christians that they have a responsibility to care for their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

·      Understand that your home is not yours, but God’s.  We are stewards of all our possession here on this earth.  We are to take the best care of our home.  However, God is free to use it however He desires.  He loves it when his children eat together.

·      Have friends over for coffee.

·      Have friends over for a meal.

·      Invite someone over that you are pretty sure will be unable to return the favor.

o   Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid. 13But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14 NIV

·      Entertain foreign students in your home that are from another country

·      Seek to host guest speakers at your church that are from other cities and countries

o   This has been a favorite blessing for Pam and I to host ministers from other places.  Our children had the privilege of meeting people from all over the planet, such as Japan, Korea, Africa, South America, and even Australia.

·      If you are embarrassed by your home, be courageous enough to invite a friend to help make it presentable.  If you try to tackle it by yourself, it may never happen.  We were made to be in relationship and others can be a great source of encouragement to tackle larger task.

·      You don’t have to be a great cook for your home to be inviting.  You can always bring home good food from a restaurant.  The important part is sharing the meal and conversation together.

·      Invite Jesus into your gathering.  In your prayer over the meal, pray to invite Jesus to be present with you in your home.  Ask for him to be included in the conversations.  Expect that He wants to be present with you.  “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there.”

Father, thank you for being present in our lives.  Thank you for examples of hospitality throughout the Bible like Abraham did for his guests.  Thank you that our family had the privilege of meeting great men and women of faith.  Help us to connect with those who need our assistance.  May we learn to express the openness that you desire for those who love you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

1