Reflection on Hospitality
I always thought that Hospitality is a
gift that some people possess because they are really good at it. Also
to me I think hospitality is optional. It is merely entertaining your friends and family at your home. I
would rather go out to the restaurant than to invite people over. It can be a chore having to cook for
them. But after attending the
Hospitality class, my concept of Hospitality changes. From this module I
learned that we are not only to be
hospitable, but we are to "practice" hospitality. Christine Pohl, in
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition says: “Hospitality
is not optional for Christians, nor is it limited to those who are specially
gifted for it. It is, instead, a
necessary practice in the community of faith.”
Also God commands us to extend hospitality to both,
brethren and strangers. As Christians we are to pursue opportunities to be
hospitable.
"Do not neglect to show
hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels
without knowing it" (Heb.
13:2).
I asked myself – now that I know it is
God’s commands – how am I going to do about it?
It’s not easy for me, it will be a struggle to extend hospitality to a
stranger - someone I do not know at all. It is not easy to give of myself and
to cultivate an openness towards the stranger.
I realize I must be willing to make sacrifices and to remind
myself that I once a stranger and God has shown hospitability to me. “God shows his love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God abandoned
Jesus in order to bring us home to Him.
Hence to respond out of gratitude for what He has done for us, I can
choose to be hospitable even though I am an introvert. It is because He first loved me I need to
obey His commands to be a hospitable person.
Hospitality is an attitude of love.
Jesus is the perfect model for hospitality. He loved us enough to die for us all.
I ask myself these
questions - How do I exercise hospitality in my daily life? How do I treat my
neighbors? Do I realize that everyone that I come in contact with is a valued
child of God who is deeply loved by Him?
Is it not possible for me to show Christ’s love to others? Corinthians 5:20 tells us “We are therefore
Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through
us." Therefore, it is important that our actions and reactions towards
others brings out who we are representing. For example in Church, are we seeking
to welcome the marginalized, being friendly towards them, relating with them and making them feel
accepted for who they are. When we served
do we hand out that cup of coffee with love and care, or just out of obligation
or pretentiousness? After when we
finished this module we take home the lesson with us that Hospitality isn’t just about smiling at
visitors who walk into the doors of our church. It’s about an active desire to
welcome and care for new people.
