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It was a Saturday, and I was tired and not feeling up to my to-do list.  In a more energetic moment earlier in the week, my husband and I had invited some people to come over for lunch after church on Sunday.  But suddenly it was the day before, and I was second-guessing our decision because now I needed to go to the store, make food, and clean.  I just wanted to take a nap and do whatever I liked.  What were we thinking?  I asked him, as I lugged out the vacuum.

Flash forward to Sunday evening, the guests had just left, and we plopped down on the couch with smiles of happiness on our faces.  Did we regret inviting them over?  Not at all.  Whatever work we did was worth it for the connection we experienced and the joy of serving others, knowing we were helping them feel like part of a family.  We were already thinking about who we could invite next, as we found joy in obeying I Peter 4:9, "Use hospitality one to another without grudging."  Okay, well, I still needed to do some internal work on the Saturday afternoon grumbling part!

Don’t Wait Until You Feel Like It

Most of us agree that hospitality is a wonderful thing.  We want to practice it. However, if we wait until it’s convenient or when we feel like doing it, we might never do it.  That’s why, at one point, my husband and I decided to invite people over every other Sunday.  If we scheduled it and invited guests, we couldn’t easily cancel.  Doing it weekly wasn’t feasible because we didn’t want to get burned out. But twice a month? That was manageable.  It was exciting to think that, over a year, we’d probably have people in our home at least twenty times!

Sometimes we hosted several groups of people at once, aiming to include singles, older couples, and families. We cherished the opportunity to know many members of our church family better than we ever could through brief conversations or just saying “Hi!” on Sunday mornings.  While that kind of fellowship is enjoyable, sharing meals and digging deeper into each other’s lives takes more than a few minutes once a week.

We enjoyed making lists of who we wanted to invite and what food we could prepare for them.  Sometimes we chose people we hardly knew; other times we invited dear friends we served alongside but rarely had the chance to just hang out together.  But the greatest joy was seeing the results: a quiet person who hardly spoke, smiling at me and chatting away the next Sunday; children coming up and sharing something because they now knew me; and looking around the sanctuary and realizing how many connections had been made over our scratched-up kitchen table.

 God Will Provide

Showing hospitality isn’t meant to be something we do only at certain stages of life, when our schedule lightens up, or when we have the house we think we need for it. It should be a part of our lives as believers.  Romans 12:13 is a well-known verse on this subject. If we look at its context, we see that it’s part of a longer passage describing the marks of a true believer.

 Romans 12:9-13 "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. [10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; [11] Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; [12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; [13] Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality."

The punchline of hospitality follows a lovely list of good things God calls us to do. But before we think that doing hospitality is just one more burden to bear or one more area where we fall short, let’s remember that if God desires us to do something, He will be faithful to provide what we need to do it.  What are your reservations about opening your home to others or scheduling a coffee date?  If you wrote those hesitations down, could you justify them with Scripture? 

How do God's attributes and promises influence them? Are you willing to step out in faith and take the next step, trusting that God will be faithful?

 Just Do It!

My husband and I haven't practiced scheduling hospitality for years.  I don’t remember exactly why we stopped, but it’s been too long.  We’ve decided to restart, and I'm excited.  Our first date is now on the calendar; want to join me in scheduling hospitality? 

(This article was largely based on a blog post from Amy Santarelli @women.pcacdm.org)

Note From The Pastor

Isn't it about time we opened our homes as we build good, lasting relationships within the local New Testament Church?