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Joyful Hospitality
Philip. 2:29
"Welcome him with Christian
love and with great joy, and be sure to honor people like him."
Did you have any house
guests over Thanksgiving holiday? We were happy to welcome Susan's
folks into our home. We had a wonderful time and had a good experience
with them. Our activities for the week prior centered around their visit.
Some people don't speak of their house guests with the same affection.
William Cowper said
"Visitors are insatiable devourers of time, and fit only for those who,
if they did not visit, would do nothing." Edouard R. Laboulaye quipped:
"The first day, a guest; the second, a burden; the third, a pest." Benjamin
Franklin wrote: "After three days men grow weary of a <pejorative
term for a female>, a guest, and rainy weather."
What makes the difference?
I believe it is knowing the difference between entertaining and
hospitality.
In our text today, Paul lists three elements that distinguish Christian
hospitality from "entertaining." They are:
-
Christian Love
On a recent Episode of Fraser,
Miles
wanted to win Seattle's "Golden Apron" award, so he hired a snobbish
chef to prepare a perfect dinner. He invited his pretentious friends
to dine at his brother's home. His goal was to impress them and rub
their noses in his "class" and "wealth." His plans changed when he
noticed that Fraser's plate glass window had a small crack in it
and discovered Fraser's repairman could not replace it before the
dinner party. Perfectionism forced him to change his plans.
He decided to move the dinner
party to his estranged wife's home. Everything was fine until they
discovered a dead seal on the beach in front of her home. The dinner
guests arrived and the comedic drama unfolded as they tried to remove
the carcass without anyone noticing.
Comedy usually contains truth--that's
why it is funny. In a nut shell, Miles' goal was to impress his
"friends" not enjoy them. He was not motivated by love, but by narcissism.
Christian hospitality differs from entertaining because it is centered
in love of others, not self-love. It is:
-
Standing beside people
in their time of need
The occasion for hospitality
may not be a party, it may be a dire need. One
of Aesop's Fables illustrates the point:
Two men were traveling together, when
a Bear suddenly met them
on their path. One of them quickly
climbed into a tree and concealed himself in the branches. The other,
fearing that the bear might attack,fell
flat on the ground. When the Bear lumbered over, he nudged
the man with his snout, as he sniffed
him. The man held his breath,
and feigned the appearance of death. The Bear, who prefers to
kill his own dinner soon left him. When it was safe, the other traveler descended
from the tree, and begin to tease his friend. "What was that Bearwhispering
in
your ear." "He gave me this advice," his companion replied. "Never
travel with a friend who deserts you at the first sign of danger."
Hospitality
is best when the recipient is at their worst.
-
Fostering an attitude of Servant-love
Have you noticed the number
of times that Paul identifies himself as a Servant to his
readers? When Jesus threw a dinner party, he insisted on washing
His guests feet. This was a job relegated to a servant, but Jesus gladly
took on the unseemly task.
-
Honor
-
Some things we consider to be
a bother, are really an honor.
A
man stopped at a flower shop
to order some flowers to bewired
to
his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he
noticed a young girl sitting
on the curb, sobbing. "What's wrong, honey?" "I wanted to buy a
red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose
costs two dollars."
The man smiled and said, "Come on in with
me. I'll buy you a rose."
He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers.
As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride
home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to
my mother." She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose
on a freshly dug grave.
The man returned to the flower shop, canceled
the wire order, picked up a bouquet
and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house. (by Robert Craiu,
in Singapore, by way of Rabbi Kalman Packouz)
-
People honor you with their
time, you should honor them for their time
A
news report from 1995 showed that among the thriving new businesses in
Tokyo was a "convenience agency"
that, among other things, supplied guests at funerals
and weddings so that the families will not lose face by sparse
attendance.
The Smithsonian Institute
houses some of the great treasures of Americana. You will find relics from
great
people like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and
Archie Bunker. Yes, the character from the 70's situational comedy
"All in the Family" has an exhibit.
Most of us remember Archie
Bunker's chair. No one was allowed to sit in his chair, especially
"that Meathead son-in-law, Mike." The chair was a symbol that Archie
was the head of his home--it was his throne in his castle.
Do you remember the exuberance
Edith
used to greet him with when he came home? She knew how to show him honor.
I hope you don't think me
too chauvinistic, but we have an Archie Bunker's chair in our home.
Everyone in our household knows it is "Daddy's Chair" and that no
one else sits in it. That is, unless we have company. On many occasions
I offer my chair to our guests. It may mean nothing to them, but
to me it means a lot. It is my way of honoring them.
If your goal is to entertain,
you will seek honor for yourself, if it is hospitality, you will
honor
others and follow the advise of 1 Peter 4:9 NASB Be hospitable
to one another without complaint.
-
Great Joy
-
Treat your guests like family
In her book Open
Heart Open Home Karen Maines, tells the
admonishment her
mother gave her when she was newly married. Some friends came to visit
them at their home, but instead of
inviting them in, she sat with
them on the front porch. Why? Because her house wasn't neat and
tidy. Her mother reminded her that she should never let her pride
keep her from enjoying her guests.
If your goal is to entertain,
you will want the joy of hearing
compliments on your taste in decorating,
but if your goal is
hospitality, you will relish the pure joy of
friendship.
Erma Bombeck once
asked this riddle: Do you know what you call those who use towels and never
wash them, eat meals and never do the dishes, sit in rooms they never clean,
and are entertained till they drop? If you have just answered, "A house
guest,'' you're wrong because I have just described my kids.
Would toys scattered on
the floor or a little dust on the end table keep you from enjoying
your
children? We laugh at home movies where our children smear birthday
cake all over their faces. Some of our best memories are of times
life
was in disorder. My advise to you is to lighten up a little
and enjoy your friends. The dishes can wait, and you can
fold the laundry later, but moments of hospitality are often spontaneous.
-
Treat your family like guests
I received the kindest notes
from one of our FreshStart
subscribers this week. (Currently, we
have over 2000 people a week reading the devotionals that appear on the
back of your bulletin.) Let me read you her note:I
loved the little sweet devotional on marriage that you have for this week.
I am about to be married in about 8 months after having been single for
quite some time. My husband died about 13 years ago, and now God has brought
me a wonderful man that is godly, hilariously funny, thoughtful, affectionate,
and sweet. I know, you may think, like everyone else, that all that will
change when we marry....but I don't think so. Because he was married for
29 years to a precious woman, and treated her that way for most of those
29 years, witnessed by a host of friends and his children, who have all
shared that with me. So, I'm confident that he will continue on in the
way that he has shown himself to be. We are just amazed at God's bringing
us together....why do we always get amazed when God keeps his promises
and does things to delight us, like He says He will? Sincerely, Paula
Paula
is determined not to value her husband any less when they are married
than during their courtship. I applaud her and challenge you to do the
same.
You too can develop the
gift of hospitality. Mix a little Christian love with an attitude of joy
and top it off with honor and you will have hospitality.
Hebrews 13:2 NASB Do
not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained
angels without knowing it.
(c) Dr. James L. Wilson, all rights reserved, for information on permission
to publish, distribute or preach, go to our Permission
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