Hospitality of Strangers

“Hospitality is as close as we will ever get to the face of God,”
declared a rabbi. Hospitality is at the heart of the Gospel. God
was not willing that we, who were estranged from Him by sin,
should remain strangers. The Father sent forth His Son to extend
an invitation to His home, welcoming those who would receive His
invitation into a holy comm-unity called the Church. His desire
was that we be one in community with Him even as Christ was,
that the world would be convinced of Christ and His mission.
Hospitality is to reach to strangers. In a very real and growing
sense, we are all strangers here. We must grasp the God-breathed
need for Christ-infused hospitality to reach the virtual strangers
around us, beginning with those virtual strangers right in our midst
in the household of faith. Hospitality is glorious, but not glamorous.
It is not an artificial marketing tool but the Master’s authentic
method for birthing and maintaining relational community."

This thought was forwarded to me in an e-mail. I would love to tell you who wrote it, but it was unattributed. I felt the thoughts expressed were worth repeating and spreading.

The italics added are mine. Because christians have found so much in Christ, I think it is easy for us to come across as insiders. Christianity here in Spain, but also around the world, often has an image problem among not-yet-believers. Often, this image problem is genuinely earned. This article highlights some statistics published by the Barna Group highlighting how young adults in the US view christianity. It is important for us to reclaim our position as strangers and aliens among our neighbers, co-workers, and friends.

I also wanted to highlight the comment about hospitality being glorious, but not glamorous. In my experience it is always rewarding to welcome others into your home and life. But it often involves serving, sacrifice, and the messiness that real interaction with others often includes. One thing I felt we heard too much as we prepared to move to Spain were well meant encouragements that often made it sound like we had chosen some sort of higher way of life. It just isn't that way - there is nothing glamorous about our move, or our vision. I feel as obedient in following Christ to Spain as I did into my corporate cubical in suburban Chicago. Not glamorous, but in both places, there can be glorious moments when God is at work.

May we all feel a bit like a stranger, and experience a little of the joy of hospitality.