Hospitality and PrayerAndy Freeman - 22 Mar 2014

“Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.” Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out

Whatever happens within the 24-7 family, we tend to do it with food.  This has always been something very important to us. 

Hospitality is the bigger word for simply saying to people, come in, rest, let me care for you, let’s eat together, or even here is a cup of tea.  It’s about giving .... or as Nouwen says above, about creating.  It makes a lot of sense when you think about prayer.

When we first opened Reading Boiler Room in 2001 we had no idea what to do.  When began by praying, and made the space available for that.  But one Saturday, when about 100 young people turned up on our doorstep we faced a dilemma.  If we said ‘come in’ would our lovely quiet prayer venue change forever?  If we kept them outside, what did they say about our faith and our care towards them.

In the end, we opened the doors and the most extraordinary few years of my life began to take shape.  You can read more of this story in Punk Monk if you’d like.

But what eventually occurred to us, was that this was prayer.  To open our doors, to provide shelter and food and drink - it was the most basic prayer we could offer.  Here our words in the prayer room took legs and went out into our neighbourhood.  Our prayers took on fresh reality.

Jesus famously told his disciples “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” (Matthew 25:35)

Our acts of hospitality are part of worship and relationship with God.  But Jesus is also saying that our words must result in actions .... “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me”  (25:40). 

We had been praying for our local community and these young people.  Now they were at our door.  Being hospitable was part of the way we took that prayer forward, and created an equal space for them and for us, and for God.  We marvelled as we saw God work time and again after that.

If you and your friends are praying regularly for your community why not:

• Organise a community meal and invite your neighbours?
• Throw a party to celebrate summer and ask people you’ve met to come along.
• Take drinks out to those waiting for buses or waiting in a line somewhere?
• Bake bread and cakes and give them away to your neighbours.

Jesus says when we give a drink to someone who’s thirsty we do this for him.  Let’s pray and worship with hospitality and see what happens.