The Importance of Hospitality from a Biblical Perspective

Nancy Wilson, on her blog Femina, reminds us why hopitality is so important. Though hospitality was listed as a "spiritual gift" in a study in which I recently participated, I'm think we are ALL called to practice hospitality in some way as Christians.

Nancy seems to agree, and here is why, in her words:

I believe, first of all, that hospitality is good for us because it is hands-on, real-life, experiential Christianity. When you are a host or hostess, you are assuming a role of servant. You are waiting on people, and it is a load of work. Just in case you have forgotten how much work it is, consider this: First you plan a menu and clean the house. You set the table, shop for the groceries, do the cooking, pour the wine, serve the meal, look after everyone before, during, and after the meal, and then you clean up all the mess. And meanwhile, as you are doing all the above things, you are making conversation and getting to know your guests better. So what’s the big deal with that, I ask?

I think that the answer is that hospitality requires self-sacrifice, and we all need lots of practice with that. Self-sacrifice does not come naturally to us. It must be a work of grace or it will result in a spectacular belly flop. If it did not require so much, we would not be tempted to grumble about it. So God wants us doing it a lot so that we will get good at living for others and quit fussing about the work and the mess involved. In other words, hospitality is a means God can use to make us more like Him and less like us.

You can read the rest here.