The Power of Hospitality

This blog is a reflection on the book “Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition” (Christine D. Pohl 1999) and is based on the scripture found in Matthew 25: 31-40:

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father [you favoured of God, appointed to eternal salvation], inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me [with help and ministering care]; I was in prison, and you came to Me [ignoring personal danger].’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.’

Throughout the book Pohl argues that hospitality in it’s truest form is a powerful practice that has “subversive countercultural dimension” but that it has become devoid of its moral meaning and somewhat lost as a Christian practice and distinctive.   The points below outline five key elements of hospitality – highlighted in the book and the scripture above – that are essential to recovering the ancient practice modelled so well by the early church.

1. Hospitality is practical care for the outsider (“I was a stranger”):

• Hospitality in it’s truest form must be distinct from ‘entertaining others’ and the sense of being able to get something back in return.  Through church history this emphasis drifted and it became about affirming social status not caring for the needy.  This is contrary to the words of Jesus:
  • Jesus also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbours, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (the just, the upright).” Luke 14: 12
• In this guise hospitality has a powerful edge: “If there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality” Henri Nouwen

2. Hospitality is personal: (“you invited me in”)

• Hospitality is not outsourced: From the middle ages on specialised institutions of care emerged which, whilst generally started by the Christian tradition, saw hospitality become removed from the personal sphere to the professional sphere .
• In this sense true hospitality remains on the sphere of the non-specialist and a mandate for all particularly as we welcome others into familial spaces and places.
• This requires us to redefine our concept of family: “The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small” Mother Teresa

3. Hospitality emphasises parity (Jesus not only identifies with the stranger He is the stranger)

• Everyone is of immeasurable worth:
  • “Bearing God’s image establishes for every person a fundamental dignity which cannot be undermined either by wrongdoing or neediness”.
• Everyone is equal: This is not a meritocracy where our abilities, skills, acquisitions, influence can lift our status above that of others.
• Be on the look out for the divine:
  • “We always treat guests as angels: Just in case” Brother Jeremiah echoing Hebrews 13: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
• Key question: “Did we see Christ in them? Did they see Christ in us?”

4. Hospitality is not precious but plentiful (“when did we see you hungry?”)

• There is the sense of agency in this passage and that we are often the gatekeepers who need to invite others in (“you invited me in”). But we must avoid hierarchy:
  • Throughout the bible Jesus shares meals with others (a sign of equality and reciprocity) and is prepared to be a guest of others.  “Sometimes it is easier to cook and clean than share in a meal and a conversation”.
• It takes time and effort but true hospitality is generously and naturally given:
  • This takes a significant shift to step away form the consumption, immediate gratification and unrelenting busyness of the culture.
  • Embodied in Jesus who embraced interruption and being present (how often was Jesus late?)

5. Hospitality is a perspective (we are the stranger who is invited in)

• God is the great host who invites us, as strangers and outsiders, to be a part of His family:
  • “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 8
  • “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” John 14: 23
  • “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” Ephesians 2: 19

Discussion questions

This is not about a place or a space but an attitude:

• Do we understand what it is to be a stranger/marginalised? Can we learn?
• What would it mean to start developing a habit of hospitality? What needs to change?
• What are we the gatekeepers to?  How can we welcome people into these spaces and how do we remove barriers to entry?
• Can we draw the circle of our family (or those we are concerned about) slightly larger?
• What one step can we take over the next day, week and month?