The Inconvenience of Welcoming OthersDanny Adams - 23 Mar 2017

“Jesus offered hospitality that wasn’t just inconvenient for him; it was life changing for others”

As a community, we recently celebrated the marriage of some good friends. It was an incredible cross-cultural celebration as the bride was Spanish and the groom English - so several of us hosted people from across the globe joining us for the wedding. 

I was hosting an American girl, Amy, who lives in Spain. Before she arrived, I was aware that the weekend was going to be a little hectic, so I scribbled a note welcoming her to make herself at home. I attached the note to a clipboard - in the hope that it might look more presentable - and placed a bottle of wine and spare key next to it as a gesture of welcome. 

She arrived during the rush of Friday and there was only time to say a quick hello to Amy before I headed out the door. I didn’t see that much of her over the weekend, but the whole time, that roughly scribbled welcome note remained on the counter. 

Returning from the wedding reception, I absentmindedly started tidying up. As I was about to tidy away the note, God spoke some simple words: “Your guest is still welcome here”

In this moment - just as I was about to tidy away my offer of welcome - God reminded me of its significance. However rushed and feeble my attempt might be, it has to remain, regardless of the mess it creates in my life. 

Creating community is something I want to do wherever I live. In previous houses, we threw dinner parties for 15 people; we took nice photos for instagram and everyone mucked in with the washing up. 

But then life got in the way. I’d work a weekend shift; my flatmate went away; my Mum came for tea. Those photos remained on our instagram feed -  but our dinner table looked more like a workspace than a play space.

"just as I was about to tidy away my offer of welcome - God reminded me of its significance...."

Hospitality is about doing everything you can to make someone else welcome. But over the past few months, I’ve been wondering what authentic hospitality means. 

I’m learning that it’s not about the big gestures. It happens every day, even when you’ve had a bad day; even when your parents are over for tea; even when things are frantically busy. 

True hospitality should happen even when it's inconvenient for you.

Jesus ate with all kinds of people - much to the horror of the Pharisees. Yet when we read the stories we can see the transformation it made. He offered radical hospitality - touching lepers, communing with sinners,  and inviting himself to the houses of people like Zacchaeus. 

These weren’t just nice things to do, but actions that could have cost him his place in society and ruined his reputation. Yet, in each instance, someone left healed, whole and with life changed as a result. 

Jesus offered hospitality that wasn’t just inconvenient for him; it was life changing for others. 

For me, this journey of learning how to do hospitality well has been a challenging one. I’m learning to put aside the pride of what my house looks like and the skills I possess so that I can truly commune with those I’m welcoming. It’s a work in progress, but I’m hopeful that, in practising, God can use my faulty, meagre efforts to change someone’s life - and maybe in the process, he might just change mine. 

Want to learn more? Watch our podcast on Hospitality HERE.