Lent: A Journey Through 7 Spiritual Disciplinesनमूना

Week Five: Hospitality

Hospitality. Immediately, you might think of someone welcoming you into their home to share a meal. But the true heart of hospitality includes so much more than one example or image could ever contain.

What does it really mean when someone invites you to their house? People say that someone’s home shows a piece of who they are. So, when you’re being invited to someone’s house, they’re bringing you into their space, their environment … their life. And that might be a vulnerable place.

What makes hospitality so difficult is that it requires both people to be vulnerable. The person extending it is offering something that might be difficult to give, and the person receiving it must overcome any shame or guilt that might come with accepting the gift.

The New Testament has many examples of hospitality. Jesus freely extends hospitality to those He encountered, regardless of who they were. In John 4:6–26, we read the story of Jesus speaking with the woman at the well. Not only did He talk with her, but He also told her how to find “living water,” or eternal life.

The account of a woman anointing Jesus with expensive oil and of Martha and Mary welcoming Jesus into their home were also stories about the humble act of hospitality.

But hospitality doesn’t come without sacrifice. In hospitality, we extend something of ourselves, a fragile flower on the brink of wilting. We might sacrifice something emotional, like comfort or security, or something physical, like a blanket or a place to stay.

God sacrificed Jesus in the final and perfect act of hospitality so we could be saved. God’s grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness of our sins … those are the perfect demonstrations of God welcoming us into His love.

Pray about how you can extend hospitality this week. How is God calling you to sacrifice your needs or desires to welcome someone else?

1. How has hospitality been shown to you? What relationships do you see it in? What is the most difficult part of showing hospitality?
2. Where is hospitality lacking in your church or your community? How do you think Jesus might be calling you to address that?
3. Describe hospitality in your own words. What does it mean in the Bible and in the present day to show someone hospitality? Is hospitality the same as generosity or love?