The Gift of Hospitality

In the book of Genesis, chapter 18, there is a wonderful story about Abraham and Sarah. We find Abraham, at this point an old man, hanging out under the oak trees. Three strangers walk up out of nowhere, and for all he knows they’re enemies. But he jumps up, invites them to stay, has their feet washed, and prepares a literal feast for them.

Strangers…

Now a little background here might be helpful. In the ancient Near East, because travel was so dangerous, there was a very strict code of hospitality. You were bound to give food and shelter to anyone who showed up at your doorstep. This was a matter of mutual survival—a sort of social covenant.

For ancient Jews and Christians, there was more at stake. There was a deep-seated belief that showing hospitality to the immigrant, the traveler, the foreigner, or the stranger was a way of meeting and receiving the holy presence of God.

In this story, at first, Abraham and Sarah are the hosts—the ones doing the giving. But they end up being the ones who receive the gift. These strangers turn out to be angels. They speak for God. They promise that Sarah would become pregnant in her old age—and that God was still going to use them in a powerful way.

This act of hospitality opens the door to a holy moment…

I don’t know about you, but I probably need to pray for the ability to be more hospitable to strangers. Because I think about the other side of this. What a sweet concept hospitality is—especially when we are on the receiving end.

A few years ago, a friend was telling me about how—when she was first trying to come to grips with her addiction to alcohol—she went to her first AA meeting. Of course, she was very scared. When she showed up, a very large intimidating man walked right up to her. I guess he sensed her nervousness, and he said, “You must be new here. It’s going to be alright. Come on in.”

In the book of Hebrews we read: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

How might that look for you over this holy season?

Let us pray: Holy God, across the ages you have sent us more witnesses than we could recognize, more help than we could seek, and more of yourself than we have been able to recognize or love. Thank you for your hospitality to us. Empower us to share that same love, acceptance, and grace with a world desperately in need. Amen.