Have you ever thought much on hospitality? It's not really a core value in modern American culture, but that's not true in other areas of the world. And really, it's scriptural. I Peter 4:8-10 tells us:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer Hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
I used to live in Azerbaijan, where hospitality really WAS a core cultural value. Having a Guest was a BIG DEAL. In fact, a traditional curse was "May your home have no guests." Where an American would say, "Hi, how are you?", an Azeri would say, "Come to my house for dinner." To a stranger. To a GROUP of strangers! In fact, you might be invited to spend the night at their house instead of a motel! Hospitality was such a core value, that it was worked into the social customs of the small talk between strangers, especially foreigners. But you had to refuse at least three times, BECAUSE it was a social nicety. They may blow a whole month's wages on having you over for dinner, so you had BETTER refuse initially! If you keep refusing and the host starts talking about alternative dates and times, then you know they are serious and you can consider being their Guest.
Incidentally, part of the dynamic between Hosts and Guests in traditional cultures in this part of the world, is that the host is honor bound to defend you with their life. And all of their extended family is also bound by the same requirement. After September 11, the United Sates said to the Taliban, "Hand over Osama Bin Laden!" Can you guess what they said?
"He is our GUEST. We will NOT hand him over."
And so the Forever War started...
Let me tell you just how DEEP this concept goes. In the novel Ali and Nino, by Kurban Said, the hero kills his rival for kidnapping his bride, and is then hiding from the police. He is sheltered by his extended family in neighboring Dagestan, which is part of the the Russian Federation. Here is what he says:
There is an ancient saying, that is true, but very difficult. "If a guest has entered your home, though he hold in his hand the severed head of your firstborn son, you cannot refuse him food or drink."
I can't even imagine. And really, this absolute hospitality is pre-Islamic. An excellent example can be found in Genesis 19, when the angels come to see Lot in Sodom:
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed with his face to the ground. "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning."
"No," they answered. "We will spend the night in the square."
But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. Before they had gone to bed, men from every part of the city of Sodom-- both young and old-- surrounded the house.
They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two virgin daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."
Such a stunning response, that Lot would propose offering up his own daughters, rather than see his guests harmed...
So what does this mean for us? What is the takeaway? Let me throw out one idea for consideration. Matthew 25 tells us:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
"They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
People are hurting everywhere. Need is everywhere. Pick something. There are local churches who are feeding the homeless, working with recovering addicts, and helping Foster Children enter society as they age out of the system. Other churches have ministries helping immigrants adjust to the strange new life here. Possibilities abound.
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
I Peter 4:9-10
Just pick something. Get involved. Anywhere is good. And practice hospitality.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." -Hebrews 13:2
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