Guest author Pastor Dean Herring
Have you ever noticed that the word hospitality has as its root the word hospital? During the Medieval Period, travelers had a difficult time finding accommodations when venturing outside their own region. Religious leaders sought to meet this need by establishing international guest houses in the fifth century, and they were especially important during the Crusades. These houses were called “hospice,” from the Latin word hospes which means “guests.” Such a guest house was intended to be a haven for guests. After the Crusades ended and the secular world took over the entertaining of travelers, these hospices began to specialize in the care of the poor, sick, handicapped, and elderly. Today we have our hospitals, and although patients may not always feel like guests, hospitals are for our benefit. That is the true focus of hospitality. There is a difference between entertainment and hospitality. Entertainment seeks to showcase the host, while hospitality seeks to benefit the guests.
The word hospitality is used four times in the New Testament. In two verses, we are told that Christians should be given to hospitality (Romans 12:13) and should use hospitality one to another (I Peter 4:9). The remaining two verses are written to pastors and command them to be given to hospitality (I Timothy 3:2) and to be a lover of hospitality (Titus 1:8). Clearly, both pastor and people are to be given to hospitality, and pastors in particular are to love it! It seems to me that hospitality is a really important part of our ministry as believers.
Do you know how many people we’ve had in our home who have told Susie and me that this was the first time they’d ever been in a pastor’s home? The ministry is no place for recluses. While I realize that hospitality can be shown in many different places, there is something that really connects you to people when you allow them into your home. If you view your home as a personal sanctum where everyone is excluded but family, you may be missing out on the opportunity to impact people through hospitality.
The first time the word meal appears in the Bible is when Abraham fellowshipped with his three guests and the Lord promised him a son. The Passover was commemorated by a gathering and a meal. Jesus often stopped by a home in Bethany and ate with His three dear friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Twice, after Jesus taught the multitudes, He had them sit down in groups, and He fed them. When the prodigal son came home, he was welcomed with a fellowship meal. In His last hours with His disciples, Jesus shared a meal with them in the upper room. Even in Heaven, we are going to enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus referred to Himself as the “Bread of Life,” and He is the Source of our fellowship with each other. Obviously, the connection between fellowship and food is not just a cardinal Baptist doctrine; it’s a pattern found in the Scriptures.
Sharing a meal with someone provides an atmosphere for bonding like nothing else does. Perhaps that’s why the Bible forbids us in I Corinthians 5:11 to share a meal with another professing Christian who is living in open sin. God doesn’t want us fellowshipping and bonding with those who are living in rebellion to Him. Nevertheless, in Matthew 9, Jesus ate with sinners so that He could call them to repentance. He came to earth to redeem us from our sins and to fellowship with us. His invitation is clear: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). “Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine!”
Due to the present distress and the call for social distancing, opportunities for hospitality may be limited as far as food and fellowship are concerned. We must be creative to provide a hospitable atmosphere in our churches. However, this time may be a great opportunity to teach our people that hospitality should not just be a part of our church culture but should also be a part of our homes. I have known pastors who were paranoid about their people fellowshipping in each other’s homes. While I am sure that some have enjoyed an appetizer of “Smoked Herring,” hospitality is actually a sign of a healthy church. If, for some reason, you’re not comfortable inviting people into your home, find a good restaurant. The early church, without cellphones and social media, yearned for such personal connection. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart (Acts 2:46).
Perhaps the best way to ensure that we have a hospitable church is for each of us to ask ourselves, “Am I a hospitable person?” It has to begin with each of us. Hospitality is not an activity that the church staff organizes or a new program that the pastor announces—it is an expression of a heart attitude. Don’t allow your shyness or awkwardness to exile you from being hospitable. Open your heart, and God will fill it with people whom He loves so much that He gave His Son for them.