We often think of hospitality as welcoming or serving others by way of food and drink. This is a common way to express hospitality, but it’s by no means exhaustive. In fact, no matter what you think your gifts might be, if you are a believer, you are called to show hospitality to your friends and neighbors.
Peter writes to all Christians when he says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9), and Paul tells the whole congregation in Rome that they must “seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13). The author of Hebrews says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). Paul instructed Timothy to extend the church’s benevolence to a widow if she “has shown hospitality” (1 Timothy 5:9–10). Jesus taught that we will be judged on the basis of our hospitality, for when we love and welcome others, we in fact love and welcome him (Matthew 25:35–40).
Hospitality is welcoming both guests and strangers with warmness and generosity.
This can be shown to guests and strangers through a shared or delivered meal, hosting overnight guests, or even something as simple as a sincere conversation to make an “outsider” feel welcome. It doesn’t require a fancy house or an extravagant budget.
Hospitality is for every season
Alexander Strauch explains, “Hospitality is a concrete expression of Christian love and family life. It is an important biblical virtue. … Giving oneself to the care of God’s people means sharing one’s life and home with others. An open home is a sign of an open heart and a loving, sacrificial, serving spirit. A lack of hospitality is a sure sign of selfish, lifeless, loveless Christianity.” Hospitality is a tangible, outward display of godly character.
Throughout the last decade of my life, I’ve hosted simple but joy-filled dinners for friends and strangers on my college campus, in my home, and even at my church. I’ve learned through the years that people often care more about the invitation than they care about the perfectly assembled three-course meal or the matching table linens and chairs.
Pride often tempts us to think our current space isn’t good enough for guests. Fear of man often tempts us to think that no one will come or that we will let others down. However, all gifts—large and small—are to be stewarded well for God’s glory and for God’s people.
Throughout my life, I’ve been invited to fancy events with picture-perfect setups and felt like an outsider. On the flip side, I’ve been served cranberry chicken and rice on a mismatched plate in an old house on an Air Force base by near-strangers (whom I had met less than a week prior at church) and felt more welcomed and loved than I could have possibly imagined. Hospitality isn’t about entertaining. It’s about welcoming and serving others for the glory of God.
And while we may tend to think of hospitality as “women’s work,” throughout Scripture, hospitality is commended as something all Christians should strive to demonstrate (even if you’re an introvert like me!). It’s even a qualification for those who serve as elders (Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:2).
Serving others is serving God
It’s important to note that hospitality is not something to be reserved only for close friends, family, or fellow church members, but is something we also extend to strangers and neighbors. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to love the foreigners residing in their land as they would their own families (Leviticus 19:33–34).
Jesus drove this point home in the Gospels when He taught that when we meet the tangible needs of the hungry, sick, strangers, or otherwise “least of these,” it’s as if we are serving Christ Himself in the same manner (Matthew 25:34–40).
Today, showing hospitality looks a thousand different ways for different people in various cultures and contexts, but the heart is the same: love your neighbor as yourself, welcoming them as you would your own family.
So, how about you?
Would others say that you are hospitable? Engage with these questions and be honest with yourself and with God:
- How many people from your church have you invited into your home for a meal? When was the last time someone stayed the night?
- Do others come to you when they need help, or do you give the impression that you don’t want to be bothered?
- Is your family intentional about welcoming others into your home, even if they are different from you or if they make you feel awkward and uncomfortable?
- Why do you fear welcoming others into your life and your home? What promises has God given you that you can cling to for hope, peace, and assurance?
Prayer Points
Take heart in the truth that the God of the weak and the outcast welcomes you—and pray to him for his help in these ways:
- I pray that you would fill me with your Spirit so that my life bears fruit through loving deeds for others.
- I pray that I would hold loosely to all that you have given me and to know that my home, my food, my time and everything else belong to you. Help me to be a faithful steward of all of them.
- I pray that you would give me boldness to welcome others as you have welcomed me.
- I pray that the motivation of my heart would be that, through loving others, I might express my love for Christ. Please give me great joy and freedom in hospitality.
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