Over the past couple of days, we’ve reflected on the ancient Christian belief that showing hospitality to the immigrant, the traveler, the foreigner, or the stranger is a way of encountering the holy presence of God.

But think about the other side of this. If you’ve ever been the stranger, the outsider, or the new kid on the block, then you know it can be unsettling—or even frightening. And if you’ve ever been in that situation, you know how powerful even the smallest act of hospitality can be.

A few years ago, someone in my Wednesday night small group shared a story about a friend trying to come to grips with her addiction to alcohol. He went with her to her first AA meeting. Of course, she was scared. When they showed up, a large, intimidating man with dreadlocks walked up to her. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and said, “It’s going to be alright. You are going to be alright.”

I’ll never forget my first job teaching high school in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a real touristy area, and I couldn’t find a place to rent until after Labor Day—I thought I was going to have to live out of my truck. A little Methodist church heard about my situation, reached out, and found me a place to stay. I wasn’t even going to church at that time in my life. I really didn’t want anything to do with church. But their youth group showed up to help me move in. It broke open my heart. Changed my life. A simple act of hospitality.

I wonder how we might be more hospitable to strangers… I wonder how you—in your own life, at work, in your church, in your neighborhood, in your everyday routines—might offer hospitality to those you don’t yet know.

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome: Let love be genuine… Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Let us pray: We thank you for your love for us, O God. We thank you for coming to us when we least expect it. I pray that by your grace we would serve as instruments of your mercy, love, and peace. In Christ’s name. Amen.

In the ancient Near East, there was a very strict code of hospitality. You were bound to provide food and shelter to anyone who showed up at your doorstep. Part of this was a matter of mutual survival—a kind of social covenant.

For ancient Jews and Christians, there was even more at stake. They held a deep-seated belief that showing hospitality to the immigrant, the traveler, the foreigner, or the stranger was a way of encountering the holy presence of God. They believed that God could very well meet you through the visit of a stranger.

Jesus actually takes this a step further. He made it clear that whatever we do to someone in need—whether good or bad—we’ve done it to him. When you meet someone who is hungry or thirsty, sick, or in prison, he says: I’m there. I am in that person. How you treat them is how you treat me.

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome: Let love be genuine… Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

As you go through your day today, look into the eyes of those around you. May you expect to meet Jesus.

Let us pray: We thank you for your love for us, O God. We thank you for coming to us when we least expect it. I pray that by your grace we would serve as instruments of your mercy, love, and peace. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Today reflect for a moment on the turning points, or stepping stones, in your Christian life that has brought you from birth to this moment. These may be fairly few in number, five to eight, probably not more than twelve. Examples maybe – I was born, I faced an illness, a friend nurtured me, etc. List your turning points with a sentence or phrase saying what each turning point represents to you.

The exciting thing is, you do not have to wait for a turning point! We should not sit around hoping for a change, a break, a winning lottery ticket, for something to happen. We really have it in our power to turn that corner, to make the change, to start things going in a different direction. We should never think we are too old to make a change that it is too late to begin again. We do not have to go along with unhappy conditions nor accept ill-health as our lot. The turning point comes first of all, “in us” not in some outer circumstances. Base this Christ confidence on Philippians 4:13, “l can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Winston Churchill went back to his old public school when he was old and famous, to give the graduation address. All the names were called. Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” was no doubt murdered by the high school band. Sir Winston rose to give his speech about what he had learned in eighty years of public service. He cleared his throat and gave the shortest commencement address on record. He said, “Never give up! Never give up! I say, Never give up!” 

Let us pray: God of love, we thank you for turning points that enable us to move ahead and become more like Jesus. Fill us with hope and joy that we may never give up. Bless us so we may be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

A number of years ago, there was a touching story on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle about the rescue of a humpback whale. This whale had somehow become tangled in a mess of crab traps and lines. The ropes were wrapped around her mouth, body, and tail—so tightly that she struggled to stay near the surface.

Spotted by a fisherman, a rescue team was called to the scene. They worked for hours, risking their own lives—eventually even diving into the water with her to cut the lines. Once the whale was set free, the divers described the scene as joyous. The whale swam in circles, returning to each one of them as if to say thank you. The man who cut the rope from her mouth said that her eye followed him the entire time, and that he will never be the same.

It’s beautiful to think that perhaps a whale is capable of expressing gratitude. It’s deeply moving. We all know what it is like to be on the receiving end of an undeserved gift. It must have been a testament to God’s magnificent creation to witness the intelligence and curiosity of this enormous mammal—and then to experience that moment of communion between the two species.

All of this puts life into perspective. It reminds me that we are simply a part of something much bigger—a vast and interconnected world, held together by the grace and love of God.

Let us pray: God of Love, we thank you again for your beautiful and inspiring creation; for moments of transcendence, awe, and wonder. Thank you for our place within your creative design and for the ability to share life with others. Expand our hearts and open our spirits, that we would be ever tuned to your presence. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Over the past two days, we’ve reflected on 2 Corinthians 6:11–12, where the Apostle Paul writes, “We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return… open wide your hearts also.”

One of my favorite children’s books is The Velveteen Rabbit. I loved it as a child, and when I began reading it to my own children, I discovered a deeper wisdom within its pages.

It’s a beautiful story about toys in a young boy’s nursery who all long to be loved and to become “real” to the boy. The Skin Horse, an old and wise toy, shares some advice with the Rabbit:

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time—not just to play with, but REALLY loves you—then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

One of the deepest longings of the human soul is the longing to be seen, to be loved, and to be accepted.

Paul encourages the church in Corinth—and he encourages us: “Open wide your hearts…”

Let us pray: God of Love, in Jesus Christ you walked among us. We thank you for your incarnate love. We also thank you today for the people you have brought into our lives—for neighbors, friends, family, our church family, and others who walk the journey with us. Thank you for moments of laughter, for dinners and conversations shared, for hugs and smiles, and for the way their presence makes the journey richer. We pray today especially for those who feel lonely. May they know your presence and love even now. Grant us your grace, your patience, your forgiveness, and your love—that we might be better friends to those we love, and better able to reach out to those who need us most. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.