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.
Hi Sharon ! Your sharing truly shows the biblical understanding of hospitality with reference to key verses. As stated in your article , we need to have "active desire to welcome and care" and not doing for the sake of duty . Sometimes it does get challenging to provide genuine care to all . However you have also reinforced the truth in love that everyone is a "valued child of God" . That's the way we should be moving towards ! thanks for the fruitful sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you :) Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteHello Sharon, we are all shaken up in this Hospitality Class, woken up from our slumber after realising that Hospitality is not optional for Christians. After reading your blog, you show sign of reflecting on what we have learned. Now, we are all budding into action. Indeed, thanks to Sis Dav for her time taken to broaden our thought. We shall swing action wherever we are. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon. With Jesus’ example of hospitality, there is only one response, to do to others what He has done for us. He welcomed us and accepted us while we were still sinners.
ReplyDelete"It’s about an active desire to welcome and care for new people." I like your sharing. It is an active desire, not just a desire - that's is hospitality. Amen.
ReplyDelete"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." - This is a very good statement. There's so much truth and power in this. When every christian does this, the kingdom of God is expanded!
ReplyDeletejust like most people who reflect we all have the duty to be hospitable :)
ReplyDeleteThis is powerful: God abandoned Jesus in order to bring us home to Him. And may I add this: By abandoning Jesus, God is inviting us to his house for dinner. Yes, it is a response of gratitude to this invitation when we show hospitality to others.
ReplyDelete"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." ~ YES!! Now that we've all attended this module, we have no excuse to run away when a visitor comes our way. Heh! It may be challenging when we are busy but let's be Christ's ambassadors and do Him proud. ;)
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing :) yes hospitality is a choice that all believers can make
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sharing, Sharon. Yes, welcoming people into the church is not a hello and goodbye, see you soon kind of thing. As you have so well reminded us, "its an active desire to welcome and care for new people". This statement reminded me of the prominent woman who showed hospitality to Elisha. Even though she seemed to have no need, Elisha blessed her with the very thing she did not have - a child. This tells me that though people may appear to be well and fine, given time and with a relationship built, we will know what their need is. And that's when the desire to care will take over...
ReplyDeleteYay agree that we need to all exercise hospitality though it is not easy!
ReplyDeleteYes, we all struggled when we talk about extending hospitality to strangers. We are all in the same boat. But it is possible when we trust God with our resources and extending hospitality to those who is in need. It is about the mindset change that can cause us to do what we can't previously. We are Christ's ambassadors and we represent Him on this earth and let's us do a good job by first of all being hospitable just as Christ was hospitable to all.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteA good start for us to practice hospitality. keep it up.
Yes.. it's our choice that we choose to follow Christ daily. Likewise for hospitality.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWe all have the duty to be hospitable
I agree you are wonderfully and beautifully make
ReplyDelete"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." I agree.
ReplyDelete"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." I agree.
ReplyDeleteToo many questions or doubts will lead to 'Blank'. I would say hospitality is not what you DO. It is the nature of your thinking . . .when you interact with others. The nature of your thinking always manifests as a feeling. So, hospitality may not be easy to define, but we know it when we FEEL it. Take care and blessings.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment at the end: "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." Amen!
ReplyDeleteTrue, I was taught that generosity and hospitality were gift by my church pastor. In this sense, this module has been a turning point in my life. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteSharon, indeed, hospitality is an attitude of love. It is regardless of whether we are an introvert or not.
ReplyDelete