Abstract:
Hospitality is the forgotten factor in world
And yet it can be one 0£ the most accessible
e££ective means 0£ communicating the Gospel to
neighbor and to a needy world.
mission.
and aost
a needy
God's people in the Old Testaaent lived in a world
where the stranger was initially treated with £ear and
suspicion, and yet at the same time with curiosity and
welcome. Israel was instructed to re£lect God1 s love in her
hospitality toward the stranger, whether such a stranger was
a £oreigner, or a so3ourner in her midst. Experiencing a
welcome among God1 s people was £or such a stranger a
maximum, opportunity to meet Israel 1 s God.
God 1 s Son came to earth as a Guest, depending on the
hospitality 0£ others £rom Bethlehem onwards, and yet was
also a Divine Host, breaking bread £or His disciples at His
last meal with them. And He sent out His £ollowers as
dependent on the open hearts and homes 0£ others. Since
they learned to be good guests, they could also be good
hosts, building a communication network that signi£icantly
helped the spread 0£ the Gospel in the £irst £aw centuries.
The hospitality pattern has continued in £its and
starts throughout church history, and successes and £ailures
o£ten existed aide by aide: an insular Catholic Church, £or
example, spawned the gracious openness 0£ the monastery
chain.
Hospitality beckons today as a winsome practice which
can help accomplish God1 a mission. We must £irst learn to
accept i~ £ram the Father, and then to practice it in
speci£ic, practical ways in widening circles 0£ contact. We
need to start with hospitable attitudes to our marriage
partner and children, then as a £amily to our Christian and
non-Christian £riends in the comaunity, and then as a church
to our God-given ''pariah".
And hospitality doesn1 t stop there. As Christian
citizens 0£ a nation, we are to reach out and make a hoae
for the willing immigrants and unwilling re£ugeea whoa God
has placed in our midst. The welcome sign on our door is
ultimately addressed to the entire world.
