This is Part 2 of our Spring Leadership Lesson Series: Radical Hospitality. As we lead our groups and ministries, we must strive to forcefully advance the Kingdom of God through strategic evangelism, exponential discipleship, and sacrificial service. Hospitality is on the front lines of such an advance.
Today, we will survey the Old Testament and New Testament to establish a Biblical Framework for Hospitality.
What images jump to your mind when you think of hospitality? A few very different images hit my brain. On one hand, I think of our NCC hospitality ministry and their faithful service of creating welcoming environments at our weekend gatherings. On another hand, I think of my old Southern upbringing, where hospitality consisted of teacups and doilies or pecan pie and milk. Hospitality has also been turned into an industry, in which we find hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, and resorts.
Romans 12:13 tells us quite simply, “Practice hospitality.” What does this practically mean? We’ll spend the remainder of the semester exploring the many dimensions of Paul’s exhortation. Today, we’ll start by establishing a Biblical framework for hospitality and explore a few images that we find there.
The Biblical Stories
Let’s do a quick run-through of some of the stories of hospitality we see in Scripture.
- Genesis 18:1-15, Abraham and Sarah are visited by three men, whom we recognize as the Trinity. They provide a place of rest and a meal for their visitors. God’s promise to make Abraham the father of many nations is once again proclaimed, and one year later, Isaac was born.
- Joshua 2:1-21, The Israelites were forcefully advancing the kingdom of God– literally– when a prostitute by the name of Rahab took in the military spies. She was scared to death, as she clearly states in verse 9– “everyone is living in terror”– but she provided a safe place for them. She is later named in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
- 1 Kings 17:8-24, Elijah was running for his life, and he was taken in by the widow of Zarephath. While Elijah stayed there, the woman’s flour and oil miraculously reproduced itself. Later, the woman’s son died, but Elijah’s persistent prayer restored him to life.
- 2 Kings 4:9-37, A Shunemite woman and her husband built a room for the prophet Elisha. One year later, the Shunemite woman received the child she so desperately desired. When the boy was older, he died, but Elisha’s prayer raised him back to life.
- Luke 10:30-37, Perhaps the most famous teaching on hospitality is found in Jesus’ teaching on the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan, hated by the Jews, cared for a man beaten nearly to death and invested his time and resources into his restoration. Jesus’ simple instruction was, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:37, NLT)
- Acts 9:10-19, Saul swept across the land murdering and terrorizing the Christ-following sect of Judaism. Until one day when Jesus knocked him off his feet on the road to Damascus. Though terrified, Ananias and the believers in Damascus took him in. Saul’s sight was restored, his relationship with Christ was affirmed and ignited, and his ministry began. The Damascus believers helped him escape from Jewish leaders who were attempting to kill him.
Observations
What are some of the threads weaving in and out of each of these stories? First, I see individuals welcoming situations and people into their lives that are at best inconvenient but usually terrifying. Second, I see people reaching out to the stranger and even the enemy to accept them and provide for them. Third, I see an investment of personal resources, mixed with a high level of faith, into people from which nothing can be gained.
Hospitality seems to usher in four things: the presence of God, the power of God, the provision of God, and the protection of God. Often,we would think that those blessing would be granted to those on the receiving end. Yet in many of these stories, God’s presence, power, provision, and protection comes to those who provide the hospitality to others.
Next week, we will continue to unpack those ideas. For now, however, I’d like to pause to allow us to reflect on the Biblical imagery of hospitality a bit more.
Reflection Questions
What other stories of hospitality can you find in the Bible?
What other observations do you make about hospitality from these stories?
Feel free to use the comment thread to share your thoughts with others.
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