Wednesday, April 25th, 2018

With French President Macron’s visit to the United States being widely covered this week, it seems a good time to talk about hospitality. In his day, Jesus travelled far and wide and received many different welcomes upon his arrivals. He is uniquely qualified to speak to how we should welcome each other! At a dinner party, Jesus said, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” When we show hospitality, what we are really conveying is our generosity. And does true generosity demand repayment? Of course not. Hospitality is empty without no-strings-attached generosity. Today, consider how you can be generous to those around you through showing Jesus-like hospitality.

“Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” – Luke 14: 12-14 NIV