Hospitality Revisited

In my Vicar’s Voice article for the November–December 2023 RepORter, I wrote about the concept of Christian community and encouraged our members to think about how they could try to help someone feel incorporated into that community. Among my suggestions at that time were initiating a conversation with someone new or visiting one of our homebound members. We might call that showing hospitality.

Hospitality has been on my mind quite a bit lately, as it’s come up in several conversations. Some of my seminary classmates and I—now approaching a year at our parishes—have discussed how to utilize hospitality to get to know our members on a more personal level. Especially considering the number of new members we’ve had join Our Redeemer in the past year, there’s been talk about how to leverage hospitality to better integrate them into our congregation. As the Long-Range Planning Committee has begun to develop a set of goals for Our Redeemer, multiple ideas related to hospitality have come up for consideration.

I’ll come back to that in a moment, but first, I want to remind you that hospitality is very Biblical in nature. One of the earliest and most illustrative Scriptural examples we have is Abraham setting bread, curds, milk, and a prepared calf before three visitors (personifications of the triune God) as they passed by his tent (Gn. 18:1–8). The Gospels record various instances of Jesus being invited to dine at the homes of others (Mt. 9:10;[Mk. 2:15]; Lk. 7:36; 10:38; 11:37; 24:28–29; Jn. 12:2) and one case in which He invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:5–6). Elsewhere, we not only read descriptive passages about hospitality shown to the apostles (Ac. 10:23; 16:15; 21:17; 28:7), but also prescriptive ones which confirm that hospitality should be exercised among Christians:

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Rm.12:10–13, emphasis added)

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb. 13:1–2, emphasis added) (see also 1 Tm. 3:2; Ti. 1:8; 1 Pt. 4:8–11)

The Greek word for “hospitality” in these verses is φιλοξενία (philoxenia). Closely related are the words φιλέω (phileo), which means “to consider someone a friend,” and φιλαδελφία (philadelphia), “brotherly affection,” as mentioned in both texts above. Although most of the examples I cited revolved around food, that’s not a requirement. Hospitality can be anything we do to show brotherly affection (i.e., kindness) to others. After all, we most certainly do plenty of things with friends that don’t involve eating. As I urged in 2023, our demonstrations of hospitality should include not just those closest to us—our immediate family and favorite friends—but anyone who walks in our doors.

If you’re compelled to act but need specific ideas, here are some recently discussed at Our Redeemer:

• Volunteer to be a Divine Service greeter.

• Encourage others to come downstairs on Sundays for socializing and education hour.

• Get to know our new members and those working toward

• membership.

• Visit one or more of our homebound members.

• Invite your pastors to your home.

• Host or attend Wednesday evening meals during Advent and Lent.

• Organize and participate in congregational events such as potlucks, picnics, and game nights.

• Assist with planning community outreach/service/entertainment events. (Speak with the Board of Communication and Outreach for more information.)

• Suggest having a group (e.g., mothers, men, singles) gather at the church for simple time together.

As you can see, the options are wide-ranging. Everyone can have a part to play in exhibiting hospitality to members and non-members alike. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming or expensive. Don’t let unrealistic expectations hinder you from doing something. In many cases, hospitality just involves offering a friendly welcome. We think hospitality is so vital in the life of the Church that several of the above proposals will eventually be encompassed in the work of a new committee under consideration at Our Redeemer—the Community and Culture Committee. Stay tuned for details to come about that. In the meantime, don’t wait for someone else to take the lead. Abraham didn’t agonize over planning a formal banquet for his guests. Zacchaeus didn’t say to Jesus, “I’m not really the social type.” They were each presented with a need and they responded. Let’s cultivate the same mindset in our congregation. Identify an opportunity and take action. Extend an invitation. I’m confident that, in doing so, you’ll discover how rewarding being hospitable can be.

—Pastor Baker