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Beyond Centerpieces: Recovering Biblical Hospitality

ELIZABETH STEELE|GUEST Our God is a God of hospitality. We see this throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden where God our Father provided for His beloved children a place for them to live and food to eat, to the book of Revelation where He prepares the marriage feast of the Lamb to welcome His beloved Bride home. Even though we were strangers and aliens, our Father made a way for us to know Him and be His children. That’s the very premise of Christianity: we have been lavishly welcomed by Christ through the Good News of the Gospel. And He calls us to extend the same hospitality to others. The Apostle Paul gave very direct instructions to the brand-new Christians in Rome when he wrote in Romans 15:7, "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." What does it Mean to be Hospitable? The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia. We are familiar with "philo" or "phila" meaning "the kind of love between friends." Xenia means "foreigner or one you do not know." Together they mean "to give the love of friendship to a person that we do not know." Does that sound like a very natural thing to do? Not likely! In fact, showing love to people we do not know can be a very difficult thing...

Beyond Centerpieces: Recovering Biblical Hospitality2026-09-30T19:47:52+00:00

Scheduling Hospitality: Making Space for Others in Our Calendars

AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST It was a Saturday, and I was tired and not feeling up to my to-do list. In a more energetic moment earlier in the week, my husband and I had invited some people to come over for lunch after church on Sunday. But suddenly it was the day before and I was second-guessing our decision because now I needed to go to the store, make food, and clean. I just wanted to take a nap and do whatever I liked. “What were we thinking?” I asked him, as I lugged out the vacuum. Flash forward to Sunday evening, the guests just left, and we plopped down on the couch, happy smiles on our faces. Did we regret scheduling them to come over? Not one bit. Whatever work we went through was worth it for the connection we felt and the joy of serving others, knowing we were helping them feel part of a family. We were already planning who we would invite next as we discovered joy in obeying I Peter 4:9: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Okay, well, I still needed to do some internal work on the Saturday afternoon grumbling part! Don’t Wait Until You Feel Like It...

Scheduling Hospitality: Making Space for Others in Our Calendars2026-01-24T17:16:10+00:00

Making Space for Others in Our Conversations

AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST I walk into church and spot a new person. I know I should go over and engage her, but such actions often end in stilted exchanges or awkward pauses.  Making conversational space for people I don’t know well takes much more effort than the comfort of finding my seat or chatting easily with friends. Do I take the path of least resistance and avoid eye contact? Maybe I offer an acknowledging smile, but continue to my familiar chair? Or do I practice Christ-like hospitality and in love, make my way over to her? The Importance of Questions Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” Practicing hospitality in our conversations and becoming a person of understanding takes… practice. Each person we come across is a unique individual made in God’s image with varying interests, experiences, knowledge, and giftings.  With the right question, we can tap into that well and the responses will begin to leak out.  Even just a little response gives us more direction to continue the questions and soon that well can become a flow of water. Good conversation creates a connection, resulting in feeling seen and heard.  It can make all the difference between being included or left on the outside. Why is that important? Because asking questions is a means to demonstrate Christ-like love. Ephesians 2:12 reminds us that we were separated, foreigners and strangers; we were outsiders until Christ initiated with us. The Importance of Good Questions...

Making Space for Others in Our Conversations2025-11-11T16:43:52+00:00

Called By Name: Practicing Everyday Hospitality

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR There was a long season in our lives when our home was a gathering place. We regularly hosted large groups of people for food and fellowship, endeavoring to heed the call of 1 Peter 4:9 to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling” by making our home a welcoming place. Now we’re in a different season—one where it’s challenging to host people in our home. Yet I know the call to be hospitable remains. So how can I welcome others in this new season of life? Hospitality Beyond the Dinner Table Romans 12:10–13 reminds us: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” The word translated “hospitality” here (and throughout the New Testament) comes from a Greek word meaning “love of strangers.” True hospitality goes beyond setting a table or serving a meal. At its heart, it’s about making space for others—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s about seeing people as image-bearers rather than inconveniences or interruptions and welcoming them. And one of the simplest, yet most profound, ways to welcome someone—to practice hospitality—is to learn their name....

Called By Name: Practicing Everyday Hospitality2025-10-15T14:29:35+00:00

Welcome Them In: Extending Gospel Hospitality to Our Children

LISA UPDIKE | GUEST They are everywhere in our church. Probably yours too. Running in the lobby. Dropping Cheerios on the carpet. Hiding under the bulletin table. They are adorable. Energetic. Messy. Noisy. And a valued part of the covenant community that will not be ignored. Who are they? Our children! The Bible tells us that children are a blessing from God. Their chubby-cheeked, smiling faces melt our hearts. Of course, we love our children—most of the time—however; if we are honest, I think many of us have felt frustrated with the general commotion that accompanies them. Trying to listen to the sermon with a wiggly whispering seven-year-old behind you in the pew is downright distracting. The Call to Welcome Children Yet Scripture makes it abundantly clear that our attitude toward children is to be two-fold. First, we are to welcome them into the worship of Jesus. We read in three out of the four gospels that Jesus commanded His disciples to let the little children come to him. (Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16). Essentially, Jesus was declaring that children are to be welcomed and even valued. “For such is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14) is a bold statement. We are wise to take notice...

Welcome Them In: Extending Gospel Hospitality to Our Children2025-09-27T13:09:43+00:00

Welcoming Others with Gospel Hospitality

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR When I was in my twenties, I was mentored by a woman in the church where I was on staff. What began as a babysitting job turned into a lasting friendship. She was a mom of three small children with a husband who worked long hours. Often, our conversations occurred during dinner and bath time with small children, while folding laundry, or during a walk to pick up a child from an activity. While I met with her regularly for prayer and counsel, receiving much wisdom from her, I mostly remember how she welcomed me into her home and her life. She likely thought that those moments together were loud and messy, while in my heart, I felt seen and welcomed into the mess with her. She showed me (and continues to show me) gospel hospitality.   The Greatest Commandment  One of the most well-known passages in the Bible is found in Mark 12:30-31: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” This command speaks two important truths: love the Lord first and love others as yourself. As believers, we are called to not only love the Lord but to love others around us. A very specific way we can do this is by showing hospitality.  The Challenge of Gospel Hospitality When we hear the word “hospitality,” we may think only of inviting people into our home. The thought of doing so may create a feeling of panic deep within us as we think about cleaning the house or fixing an elaborate meal. Hospitality can feel risky as we think about letting strangers and even friends in our homes and our lives. But gospel hospitality says nothing about a clean house or fancy meals. In fact, nothing about the gospel is fancy or flashy. The gospel is good news. It is the message of Jesus loving us enough to leave the glory of Heaven and die on the cross for our sins. Everything about this act of Jesus was messy and sacrificial. The gospel says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Living a gospel-centered life puts others first and gives us the opportunity to show our love to friends, neighbors, and strangers... 

Welcoming Others with Gospel Hospitality2025-09-13T14:43:22+00:00

Making Space for Others

SUSAN TYNER | CONTRIBUTOR Let’s scoot over.  Make room. Here, take this spot and sit by us.     If you are walking into a space as a new student, neighbor, or church visitor, those can be some of the kindest words ever spoken. As a woman in my mid-fifties, I’m shocked that the awkwardness of junior high floods back so quickly when I am in a new situation. And, as a ministry leader who usually runs the room, I can forget how it feels to walk into an unfamiliar  one. Like when I’m on vacation and walk into a local church service.  Where are the bathrooms? Am I taking someone’s spot? Is it ok to carry my water bottle in? Will they notice if I don’t know the words to the songs?  Or, when I moved to a new city and attended a couple of local fundraisers. I felt like Cinderella dressed up going to the ball. But, once I walked in, I realized my new clothes weren’t “quite right” compared to what the other women wore. Not to mention the feeling of standing against the wall as everyone but you seem to be chatting. Thank goodness for my phone so I could camouflage my awkwardness as a busy text thread. These kinds of situations remind me how it feels like to an outsider. I feel hot and self-conscious not to mention, guilty about every time I avoided “the new girl” in the room....

Making Space for Others2025-08-23T14:07:18+00:00

Companions in the Journey

LAURA DAVIS|GUEST She set out without telling anyone where she was going.  Her eleven grown children were used to her disappearing, and they scarcely ever worried about her.  She was a tough woman who had suffered much in her 67 years—she was the hardworking wife of a farmer who had physically abused her for their entire marriage.  She’d proven she could take care of herself. On May 2, 1955, Grandma Gatewood set out from Oglethorpe, GA to become the first solo female to hike 2,160 miles of the Appalachian Trail.  She carried a lightweight handmade drawstring bag with a few provisions and wore canvas sneakers on her feet.  She brought no map and no plan except to put one foot in front of the other. A Treacherous Journey On September 5, near the end of her journey with almost 2000 miles behind her, she traversed some of the most difficult terrain she had encountered thus far.  She had one good lens in her glasses after she accidentally stepped on them, and she limped from a knee injury after a fall. The climb before her was treacherous, the kind of treacherous that was a matter of life or death with just one small misstep.  The weather had also become cold and miserable with fat, icy rain drops pelting her skin.  Her canvas sneakers, which she has replaced multiple times before, were worn through so that water gushed through the holes and soaked her socks.  She was half-blind, limping, wearing worn out shoes, and the path was slick and dangerous.    She left the trail to find a town in which to buy shoes, but instead, she encountered a man mowing the grass.  He explained there were no towns for miles but offered for his wife to meet her at the next trail intersection with a new pair of shoes.  Later that afternoon, she met his wife and when she tried on those new shoes, they were too small. The woman invited her to stay the night and the next day, after giving her shoes that fit, her daughter and a friend joined Grandma Gatewood on the next 10- mile stretch of the trail.  For most of the journey, she hiked solo, but for parts of it, this tough woman needed other hikers to encourage and provide for her and to pull her to safety at critical moments.  Strangers gave her warm houses, warm meals, and warm beds. She enjoyed their company, and it lifted her spirits. Grandma Gatewood’s story is a picture of life in a hostile world where everything seems set against us finishing the race, but the companionship of others spurs us on.  Did the treacherous climb or the miserable weather change?  Did she get new glasses so she could see clearly?  Did her knee miraculously heal?  No, none of these circumstances changed.  Rather, she was given a new pair of shoes and companionship.  The shoes would eventually wear out again, but the impact of their companionship would last a lifetime...

Companions in the Journey2023-08-15T13:19:41+00:00

A Word to Weary Small Group Leaders

AIMEE JOSEPH|GUEST After a long day of drop-offs and pick-ups, meetings and meeting needs, opening our home and our hearts to more people is usually the last thing I naturally want to do. Yet, every time we host a small group or Bible study, I go to bed both tired and satisfied. I love quiet. I love calm. And these are nearly always on backorder in a household of three growing boys in the context of ministry. I feel like I can barely keep enough food in our pantry for our children. As such, thinking for snacks for weekly guests grows my task list, my grocery bill, and my already-overflowing shopping cart. Keeping up with basic cleaning is a challenge for me, so getting the boys’ shared bathroom in suitable condition for strangers feels like a Herculean task. However, once the people are finally gathered in our backyard, at our table, or on our couch, all those concerns flee. Once God has gathered saints and strangers in our home, I am reminded of the priority of persons in the economy of the kingdom. Sentient, living, breathing, burden-bearing souls come to our home each week to be received by other sentient, breathing, burden-bearing souls. We talk about the weather and the latest taco spot, but we also share tidbits of our stories. We multiply each other’s joys and divide each other’s sorrows. For some portion of an evening, we are reminded that there are cares outside the casing of our own hearts. In the Church, small group leaders do a lot of heavy lifting. They faithfully accommodate their homes and hearts to others. They are tempted to grow weary in well-doing, especially when it does not seem like huge things are happening week in and week out. This temptation to have drooping hands and hearts is not new to the church. In fact, the writer of Hebrews continually reminded the Jewish believers to keep going in the seemingly ordinary act of regularly meeting together.  “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25)....

A Word to Weary Small Group Leaders2023-03-24T18:17:39+00:00

Practice Hospitality

HEATHER MOLENDYK|CONTRIBUTOR PRACTICE is a word worthy of adoration. PRACTICE is a solid, steady friend. The one that shows up day after day to get all the things done. PRACTICE extends a hand of grace and a boost of encouragement. It leaves room for mistakes and allows for another opportunity to do it better. PRACTICE gives the pat on the back and reassuringly says, “You’ll never do it perfectly and that’s okay. Just do your best today!” When PRACTICE made an appearance in the Bible, I admit I was initially surprised. It doesn’t seem like a particularly holy word. I’m used to seeing PRACTICE hang out with friends like PIANO, BASKETBALL, FLASH CARDS, and PARALLEL PARKING. Nonetheless, I happily waved PRACTICE over to sit down and visit for a moment. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 (NIV) Sports are a logical thing to practice. There are rules to memorize, cardiovascular gains to make, and muscles to build in order to succeed. Music makes sense to practice. Success with scales, songs, and styles all require the dedication that only practice time can give. Most of us can envision what steps must be taken and what benchmarks must be reached in order to succeed in a variety of life-skills. But hospitality? How do you practice hospitality? In his letters to Titus and Timothy, Paul gives hints on how to build up spiritual disciplines. He tells Timothy to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). He tells Titus to “be a model of good works” and dedicates a large portion of his letter on how the older generations should train up the younger ones through example (Titus 2:7). I began to think through the examples of hospitality I have witnessed in the lives of gracious women God has placed around me....

Practice Hospitality2023-03-24T18:18:35+00:00
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