Hospitality in the Greek (φιλοξενία) is a compound word deriving from friend (φίλος), and stranger (ξένος), resulting in the idea of “a friend of strangers”. The practice of hospitality draws upon 4,000 years of history, and reflects the compassionate response towards the stranger from the perspective of the household to the public arena (O’Gorman 2005) (O’Gorman 2009).
Scripture instructs the practice of hospitality[1] as the church, and several of Jesus teachings promote the posture of invitation and welcome to the stranger, the poor, and marginalized[2]. “For most of the history of the church, hospitality was understood to encompass physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of human existence and relationships” (Rah 2010, 174). Jurgen Moltmann, reminds us that the Spirit-led church “affirms the marginalized as persons-in-community” (Manohar 2013, 147).
Hospitality is intended to be God’s antitode to the us-them, in-out dichotemy. Christ shows us all are invited to the table, all who receive love belong.
As believers, hospitality is particularly theological. As created beings, we’ve been welcomed into the world by a hospitable Creator who has furnished us with creation to harness and enjoy. Though we are all sojourners in this world, we have been welcomed. As Day notes, “belief and belonging are interdependent” (Day 2011, 90). The act of welcoming and integrating the other into God’s community of belonging is therefor a prophetic act which lays the foundation for effective learning[1]. Our mission as believers, as Padilla Maggay notes is not merely to proclaim a message, but to embody and offer it, for “both proclamation and presence” (Padilla Maggay 2007, 7). Additionally, hospitality aligns with the Orthodox theology of theosis, where faith, hope and love are experienced in the pattern of the incarnation (Gorman 2009; 2001; 2015).
Hospitality is also a witness towards the generous heart of our Creator as individuals share in the abundance of God’s provisions. Bruggeman asserts that consumerism has produced a narrative of scarcity in our world, and individuals as a result compete over what are perceived as limited resources. However, he notes that the Bible begins with a “liturgy of abundance… a song of praise of God’s generosity” (Brueggemann 1999, 342). Rather than embracing consumerisms narrative, we should consider the biblical “liturgy of abundance” (343), where humanity has “originated in the magnificent, inexplicable love of a God who loved the world into generous being” (343) and the Son “gave himself to enrich others, and we should do the same” (347).
The promotion of welcoming, respectful, and diverse spaces are essential for the witness of Christ on earth, and the promotion of safe learning environments. A disciple is a learner, and as life-long learners, we should excel at designing hospitable, welcoming spaces. Welcoming spaces allow the stranger to transition from the other, to the known friend, and in doing so, are embraced into the community of equals, made in the image of God.
Hospitality is also prophetic in nature, pointing to the world that should be, embodied in the reflections of God’s people. An inhospitable place and people reflect the continued brokenness of the world, exchanging the welcome of God for the approval of people. Unwelcoming, religious people, say, “believe, and behave, then you may experience our belonging.” This, however, was not displayed in the life or teachings of Jesus Christ, who was the Father’s sent expression to creation.
We are called to enter culture, and demonstrate God’s invitation to belong through the experience of a new kind of relatedness. This belonging, in the pattern of Christ and people like St. Patrick, instigates a believing heart, and I believe, holds the key to getting the body of Christ back on track in a post-Christendom world.
(Edited excerpt from my literature review – shared by permission only)
Bruce Crowe
2023
[1] See Maslow’s hierarch of needs. The first three levels are resolved through effective hospitality.
[1] Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9
[2] Matthew 25:35, Luke 14:12-14