Hospitality: The Home…Welcoming People to Ourselves
Definition of Hospitality: The friendly and generous reception and care for any guest because that is what God does.
Hospitality is not one big thing. Hospitality is a thousand little things[1]… manifested from a welcoming heart.
I don’t want to turn this sermon into a “invite people over to your house” thing alone.
The issue here is not your abode, but the willingness to receive people to yourself regardless of where you live.
Hospitality is an attitude of the heart not merely a location (home).
Jesus showed hospitality in the field, at a rented room and at the temple in public gatherings.
Hospitality with the home is about welcoming people to ourselves and our lives regardless of the physical structure of our dwelling.
Luke 7:36-50
The point of Jesus’ parable is that those who are forgiven much, love much, and those who are forgiven little, love little.
ADMISSION: hospitality is NOT the point of this parable. Hospitality, however, is the theological setting in which Jesus is making his main point, and that cannot be ignored if we take the bible seriously.
So much of Jesus’ teaching happens within the context of hospitality as either a guest or a host. It is easy to miss the context and assume there is nothing inspired in the context, and that would be untrue.
What do we see in Luke 7:36-50 in the setting of hospitality?
- Hospitality was a display of practical love indicating a transformed heart.
- The lack of hospitality canbe an indicator of lagging love or absence of love.
I say “can” because it may simply be an issue of us understanding the connection between hospitality and love in order for many of us to be discipled into right actions.
If we know, then still refuse to be open people, it IS an indicator of a lack of love that is from a lack of forgiveness.
1 John 4:7-8 (ESV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- Hospitality is an act of love that we must master ESPECIALLY because we belong to Jesus.
John 13:35 (ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Applications:
- Jesus welcomes all who will come to him. Receive the love of God in Christ Jesus. He’s the ultimate host with the best hospitality.
- God in Christ has welcomed us to himself, and ALL can and must welcome others to themselves.
- Hospitality is not primarily leadership’s job, but the whole church’s job.
- If we welcome people into our lives, we will get hurt. Jesus was betrayed. Jesus also forgave.
- Hospitality is not foolishly opening ourselves up to continued abuse by foolish “Christians” with sinful agendas who think they are spiritual and keep hurting rather than loving.
- The setting of hospitality is where we see Jesus do his work saving and reconciling and healing.
7a. This setting is best experienced in RL Groups. Jesus is the unseen host in the setting of welcoming people to yourself and he does cool stuff in that atmosphere.
Luke 19:1-9 – Jesus makes himself the guest of Zacchaeus, and the result is the blessing of his home and his transformation to blessing those he has hurt.
7b. God does reconciling work in hospitality.
7c. God reconciles people to himself and people back to people.
7d. God reconciles the world back to himself with people welcoming all who will hear the gospel, repent and believe.
7e. God heals emotionally and physically in the setting of hospitality.
7f. This is one of the reasons RL Groups are vital. They are settings in which we see
some of the greatest work of the Holy Spirit.
[1]From Nic Burleson
Theology in the Dirt 