Before Kori’s lesson on Hospitality, I had a very skewed idea of what it was. Here is a little insight into my erroneous thoughts: “A hostess welcomes guests at her door and makes them feel comfortable and at ease. It is her job to prepare snacks and entertainment for any group and see that everyone in her home’s needs are met. If the guest is staying overnight, then the hostess makes sure their room is ready and their breakfast is to their satisfaction in the morning. A hostess is loved and welcoming.”
This sounds like a very rosy picture of a hostess, but it is essentially lacking. My picture of a hostess grossly ignored the spiritual needs that are met through hosting guests and who those guest should be. Tuesday night was an eye-opening experience from which I gathered much knowledge, which revolutionized my view of a hostess.
When I was thinking the lesson over this morning, I began to recall some Old Testament characters who were excellent examples of hostesses, well actually hosts. (Interestingly enough, our modern society all but exempts men from the role of being a host.) The two characters I thought of were Abraham and Lot.
Abraham was a man of the Old Testament, whom Jesus’ lineage traces back to. Please read Genesis 18:1-8. Notice how he responds to the guest. Referencing Matthew 25: 40: “The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Do you see the absolute importance of treating all guest with love? The actions of Abraham directly correlate with Kori’s key emphasis in her lesson on hostessing: receive people who are strangers, keep them as guests and send them off as friends. Meeting strangers with the heart of Christ rather than cold indifference is as if the same as honoring the Lord. I have spent far too long being hesitant of those I don’t know or remaining only in the company of those I do. Abraham is an excellent example of what a host is and how we are to treat those who God has sent into our lives .
Abraham’s nephew Lot also demonstrated hospitality. He was in the most sinful city, Sodom. To fully understand the sacrifices Lot made made for his two guest, please turn to Genesis 19. We first notice that Lot found the guest at the city gate and knowing this was not a safe place for them, offered them stay in his own home. There, he protected them, and they protected him. The two men were angels sent for Lot’s protection. Every guest God sends to your home or places in your path is there for a purpose. It glorified God when Lot accepted the two angels into his home, we too should seek to bring our Lord praise.
Looking over these two examples, it becomes clear that being a hostess is much more than the world tells us. Making a divine pan of brownies is not the sum of being a gracious hostess. True hostessing uses such a small task to exalt a gracious and divine Lord. Align your heart to God’s will, that you may embrace those who He sets in your path with the warmth of his love and the comfort of his embrace. Truly this is the sum of being a hostess in the service of the Lord.
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I wasn't able to attend the Gathering last week, but I am excited to listen to the lesson on hospitality and serving. I think both of these gifts are so beautiful and are necessary in the body of Christ. I hope to grow in both of these areas as I seek to understand more of God's heart in using these gifts. Thank you Kori for helping us to unfold the text and see the deeper truths in His word.
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteLove the title of your section on serving and hospitality. It brought a smile to me thinking that your mom makes the best brownies in the universe! There is so much more that goes into it right?
Like Nicole, it was unfortunate that I missed the night of this lesson. I did, however, listen to it online. I love how we were reminded that we too were once strangers before we were brought near through the cross of Christ. Praise God. I love how our Father is the perfect host and displays his love for us through the act of hospitality throughout scripture. From the beginning in the garden, he made a beautiful place for man to live and visit with him. All through the OT, story after story has some connection to hospitality or the lack of it. Remember when David asked the crippled son of Jonathan to dine with his family at the table of the king (II Samuel 9)? Great act of love and acceptance with grace and kindness. Then, of course the lack of hospitality when our Lord was born. There was no place for them in the inn. No place to welcome a tired young couple who had been traveling. No welcome for the Christ child. Yet, one day, by his grace he will welcome those who make their heart his home. We will sit at the table he has prepared for us. We will live with him in mansions he has made ready (John 14:2). And last, he will make everything new for us to live with him and be with him forever ( Rev. 21-22). He is the perfect host. We have so much to learn and to prepare for as we wait for the coming day. Yes, loving our neighbor as our self is more than "just a pan of brownies". Good night Bonnie. Love, Sasha Woo and the ladies at the Hospitality table.