“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:8-10

Devotion

There is something so intimate about having people in your home. An intimacy in inviting people into where you spend your time, into your mess, into your chaos, and into knowing you. In sharing a meal, in breaking bread, and sitting across the table from someone to share your life with them. It’s a beautiful thing. And it’s absolutely terrifying.

I was sitting at coffee with one of my friends the other day, and she was telling me about how her family had started attending a new church for a few months. She and her husband invited another family from their class into their home for Sunday lunch. As she spoke, she told me how hesitant she was initially, but that was quickly forgotten as she began speaking about how good it was to have community in their home and to spend time in community with others. This led us to ask the question, “Why don’t people do this more often?”

We see hospitality modeled over and over again through Scripture. It starts with the Jewish people being called to invite the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners in, then in the New Testament, the early church broke bread and met in their homes. Hospitality is woven all throughout Scripture. So, why do we hesitate to do it? I think often it’s due to our own misconception of our abilities. Our lives are busy, restless, chaotic, messy, and imperfect. The last thing we want to do is invite someone in. We don’t want others to see the imperfections of our homes and of our lives. The thoughts begin to race through our heads, “I don’t have enough room,” “my house isn’t nice enough,” “I don’t have the time.” When the reality is none of these things are necessary to invite people in: the only requirement is to invite people in.

One of my favorite things about Paul’s writing is how acutely aware he is of our human condition. He knows it would be easier for us to brush the act of hospitality aside due to differences or that we would be prone to do it halfheartedly. But in this passage in 1 Peter, we are called to more. Paul writes, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”. Did you catch that? Hospitality is one of our best opportunities to steward God’s grace to people inside and outside the body of Christ.

The heart of Jesus is inviting, beckoning his people back to him. As Christians, it is our honor, not an obligation, to invite people in, because in doing so we are reflecting the heart of Christ. The best way to love one another is to be known by one another, and the best way to be known by others is to invite them into your home and into your life. So invite them in. Invite friends, neighbors, your community into your home, into your life and in doing so, you just might lead them closer to the feet of Jesus.

PRAYER

Lord, help us to love your people, help us to love one another well. Make us people who are inviting, who are building bigger tables and not burning bridges. We want to be examples of your love to those around us. 

Paige Adams

Graduate Resident, Young Adults

Resources:

• “A Heart of Hospitality” sermon
• Fearless sermon series
• Sanctuary Worship: Psalm 34