Hospitality

In our bible study this morning we talked a little bit about hospitality.  We are studying Hebrews and we have arrived at chapter 13 verse 2.

This passage seems to echo the instruction of I Peter 4:7-9 that we keep our love for one another at full strength and don’t neglect to show hospitality. One of the qualifications of an elder is that he be hospitable. Jesus emphasized the necessity of showing hospitality to strangers in order to demonstrate physically His love for the world.

Once we see this clear command, some questions arise in our mind. How do we do this? How do we show hospitality to others as a lifestyle? Which others? what boundaries for personal safety are allowed, if any?

A personal example of this lifestyle is shown by David Crowder in his recent article, Rid the Yard of Sticks.
It is an entertaining read with a gut punch. Here is a clip:

I feel the need to point out that I live in one of the more economically depressed sections of town, as in, seriously, two of our neighbors call themselves the Rockstars because, they sell “rock,” (as in crack cocaine) – they do a brisk business. So, again, this time with context, my wife and I are sitting on our couch on a Saturday afternoon watching the “sport” of golf with lots and lots of Fidelity and Buick commercials.

Abruptly, I am jarred from this, my privileged slumber, as, “David! David!” is yelled at loud volume from somewhere behind me. I now feel the need to point out that we do not have any curtains on our windows. We’ve been in our house 6 years and curtains have held only occasional importance, like now, with, “David! David!” being shouted from the street at the window located directly behind my head, which is again causing me to think, “Seriously, we’ve been here 6 years? We need some curtains.” I turn and peek over the couch. It’s John. I say this to my wife, “Oh, man. It’s John.”

Hat tip to Chris for the Crowder article