Genesis 18:1–8, Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2
Click to read passage
When we think of “hospitality,” many of us assume it’s something that only outgoing, sociable people can do. Some people are naturally warm, others more reserved. Some feel they simply have nothing to offer. But the hospitality the Bible speaks of is not a matter of personality. It is a matter of the gospel.
Genesis 18 tells us that in the heat of the day, Abraham saw three strangers passing by. He didn’t wait for them to ask for help. He didn’t first check who they were. Instead, he ran to meet them, invited them to rest, and hurried to prepare the very best food for them. Again and again, we see him taking action. He “ran to meet them,” he was “quick,” he “hurried,” he “ran again.” True hospitality is not reluctant duty. It flows from a willing, generous heart.
Why was Abraham able to live this way? Because he knew he himself was a man who had received grace.
Throughout his life, Abraham kept experiencing God seeking him, calling him, providing for him, and blessing him. He had once been a wanderer, yet God welcomed him in. He had failed and been weak, yet God never gave up on him. Because he had first tasted the richness of God’s grace, he was willing to open his own tent to strangers.
Hospitality, then, is not about proving how warm we are. It flows from having first been warmly received by God.
Hebrews 13 reminds us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” Many of us today are not lacking in love. We have simply grown used to keeping our distance, hesitant to step forward, telling ourselves someone else will surely care for that person. But when the love of Christ fills us, He changes our hearts. The guarded become willing to take a step. The passive begin to greet others first. Coldness turns into warmth.
Our church is about to begin a new season of the Alpha course. Many who have never heard the gospel will be walking through our doors. Some may come carrying questions, hurts, or loneliness. What draws them in at first may not be a message, but a smiling face, a kind greeting, a shared meal, or someone who truly listens.
Sometimes, it is through being loved that a person first becomes willing to know the God who loves them.
So hospitality is not only good manners. It is mission. It is not only welcoming familiar faces, but choosing to reach out to those sitting quietly in the corner, the ones we don’t yet know well. For we too were once strangers, and yet through Christ, we have been welcomed into His household.
May Foochow Methodist Church be more than just a place where people gather. May it be a spiritual family where people truly feel, “I am home.”
Reflection:
This week, might God bring someone unfamiliar into my path? Am I willing, relying on the love of Christ, to take the first step, through a greeting, a moment of company, or a shared meal, so that person feels the welcome of Christ?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and accepting me even while I was still a sinner, and for inviting me into Your home. Fill my heart with the love of Christ. Remove my guardedness, my coldness, and my passivity, and give me courage to reach out to those around me. May I become a channel of Your grace, bearing witness to the gospel through genuine hospitality, so that more people may come to You because of Your love. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray, Amen.
Click to read passage
When we think of “hospitality,” many of us assume it’s something that only outgoing, sociable people can do. Some people are naturally warm, others more reserved. Some feel they simply have nothing to offer. But the hospitality the Bible speaks of is not a matter of personality. It is a matter of the gospel.
Genesis 18 tells us that in the heat of the day, Abraham saw three strangers passing by. He didn’t wait for them to ask for help. He didn’t first check who they were. Instead, he ran to meet them, invited them to rest, and hurried to prepare the very best food for them. Again and again, we see him taking action. He “ran to meet them,” he was “quick,” he “hurried,” he “ran again.” True hospitality is not reluctant duty. It flows from a willing, generous heart.
Why was Abraham able to live this way? Because he knew he himself was a man who had received grace.
Throughout his life, Abraham kept experiencing God seeking him, calling him, providing for him, and blessing him. He had once been a wanderer, yet God welcomed him in. He had failed and been weak, yet God never gave up on him. Because he had first tasted the richness of God’s grace, he was willing to open his own tent to strangers.
Hospitality, then, is not about proving how warm we are. It flows from having first been warmly received by God.
Hebrews 13 reminds us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” Many of us today are not lacking in love. We have simply grown used to keeping our distance, hesitant to step forward, telling ourselves someone else will surely care for that person. But when the love of Christ fills us, He changes our hearts. The guarded become willing to take a step. The passive begin to greet others first. Coldness turns into warmth.
Our church is about to begin a new season of the Alpha course. Many who have never heard the gospel will be walking through our doors. Some may come carrying questions, hurts, or loneliness. What draws them in at first may not be a message, but a smiling face, a kind greeting, a shared meal, or someone who truly listens.
Sometimes, it is through being loved that a person first becomes willing to know the God who loves them.
So hospitality is not only good manners. It is mission. It is not only welcoming familiar faces, but choosing to reach out to those sitting quietly in the corner, the ones we don’t yet know well. For we too were once strangers, and yet through Christ, we have been welcomed into His household.
May Foochow Methodist Church be more than just a place where people gather. May it be a spiritual family where people truly feel, “I am home.”
Reflection:
This week, might God bring someone unfamiliar into my path? Am I willing, relying on the love of Christ, to take the first step, through a greeting, a moment of company, or a shared meal, so that person feels the welcome of Christ?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and accepting me even while I was still a sinner, and for inviting me into Your home. Fill my heart with the love of Christ. Remove my guardedness, my coldness, and my passivity, and give me courage to reach out to those around me. May I become a channel of Your grace, bearing witness to the gospel through genuine hospitality, so that more people may come to You because of Your love. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray, Amen.