Tune in and hear a forgotten aspect about hospitality.
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SHAUNA: I’m Shauna with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Thanks for listening today. And today, Joni, I know you’re going to share a forgotten but important aspect of showing hospitality.
JONI: Thanks, Shauna. You know, recently, my helper Rainey; [she gets me up in the morning] she was telling me about a recent trip that she took with her husband Eric. They drove up the coast to spend the weekend at a little beach town. On Saturday afternoon, they lunched at a café and wandered in and out among the shops. Nearly every person [or couple] they passed on the sidewalk – those people smiled at them and gave a friendly greeting, like “Hello, there,” or “enjoy this beautiful day.” Even in the shops. The townspeople were so outgoing. Even welcoming. Well, the next morning, Sunday, Rainey and Eric decided to worship at a nearby church. They entered before the service started; they were handed a bulletin, and they found a seat. People were chattering as they filed in. No one paid much mind to Rainey and her husband. And after church, my friends got up, glanced around, smiled at a few people, and then slowly made their way to the vestibule. They passed lots of couples and singles, but [Rainey told me] not one person welcomed them. Or extended a handshake. Or said, “Oh, you’re new here; are you visiting today?”
As Eric and Rainey got in their car, they commented on how “different” the people in church were from those in town. It felt odd to them that everyday folks on the sidewalk [probably most of them unchurched] should be more cordial than the people in church who should be known for hospitality. But I think we all see this, even in our own churches [and maybe we are like the Christians that Rainey and Eric encountered; perhaps we see a visitor and just assume that somebody else is going to approach them]. We don’t want to take the time. Or we’ve become culturally conditioned – which means we just want to be invisible and walk the other way.
But it shouldn’t be like that for the people of God. Romans 12 puts it plainly. It says, “Practice hospitality.” That’s not an option for the Christian. Romans 12 makes it a directive. And then it’s reinforced in 1 Peter 4: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” And in the first chapter of the book of Titus, hospitality is one of the qualifications for a church leader. And if that weren’t enough, Hebrews 13 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers.” Oh, friend, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that if we want to be like Christ, if we want to make it our ambition to be pleasing to him, we are to demonstrate hospitality. And that means being willing to serve, even if it costs you. It means treating people with genuine love and respect; showing kindness to others, even if you don’t know them.
Rainey and Eric came home from that beach town with a new resolve to be welcoming to others, to be hospitable, and to truly imitate Jesus Christ. So, think with me for a moment: Who are the people around you who need to be brought into your community of believers? Are you showing hospitality only to those who are like you, or are you open to people who are strangers? Look for ways to be welcoming to those who are often overlooked, like, oh, I don’t know Shauna – who?
SHAUNA: Well, Joni, how about oh, single parents or the elderly or those with disabilities? And friend, remember, any time we practice hospitality, we are following in the steps of our wonderfully hospitable God. For He’s the one who went out of his way to welcome us into his life.
© Joni and Friends