For the month of October we are exploring the spiritual practice of hospitality.
Hospitality. When I think of hospitality, my mind is flooded with images- a home with every light ablaze illuminating the dark like a beacon, a crackling fire in the hearth, loved ones rushing out the door in greeting, arms open and beckoning, a table laden with favorite treats and a hearty dinner, lingering coffee conversations with life-giving friends, an unexpected invitation. What images come to mind for you?
Often hospitality is reduced to hosting a dinner party or having friends over. But hospitality is more than being a good party planner or competent chef. Hospitality as a spiritual practice is “to be a safe person who offers the grace, shelter, and presence of Jesus” to others. Through Christ we are welcomed into God’s family as dearly beloved children, and as Christ followers we are called to extend God’s welcome to others. Hospitality, then, is a “way of loving our neighbor as God has loved us,” and it flows out of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.1
Practicing hospitality as a spiritual practice requires us to be open and receptive to the dearly loved ones God places in our path by creating a safe, welcoming place in the midst of a world of hostility, a place where people experience God’s love and feel safe to be vulnerable and open. Hospitality call us to be open to one another, to be interruptible, and to be willing to invite others into our lives. Hospitality pushes back against our culture’s tendencies toward isolation, exclusion, and hostility. When we practice hospitality, we extend God’s welcome as we draw near to others in life-giving ways, and invite people in as we share of ourselves and our resources.
The Practice: Becoming a Welcoming Presence
Welcome. We experience it, we long for it, we extend it to others, and we know acutely when it is absent. Think of a time when you felt truly welcomed and received in a way that touched a deep place in your soul. We all long to be welcomed, to be received gladly with open arms with warmth and love, to be invited and included, to be shown hospitality. This month as we explore hospitality we are going to practice being a welcoming presence.
Our practice this month has two parts. First, begin each day this month praying the words of Mark 12:29-31, and contemplate the day unfolding before you. Who are the dearly loved ones you know will cross your path today? Pray for these people, these interactions. Also, pray for the unknown interactions you will have in your day. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in extending God’s welcome and showing hospitality to those you encounter this day.
The second part of our practice is to seek ways to draw near to people in a face to face way over the course of this month. Our world encourages us to withdraw from one another, but practicing hospitality calls us to draw near to others. Get coffee with a friend, invite another family to go to the beach, arrive early or linger after church to spend time with people, visit one of our homebound members, include someone new in your friend group. The list is endless. Our goal is hospitality, welcome, and genuine connection with others. How is God calling you to extend his welcome to others over the course of this month?
May our lives extend God’s welcome as we practice hospitality this month.
- Quotations from: Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. 161-163. ↩︎
