"God has shown us love and grace, so we show love and grace to others — this is the foundation of Christian hospitality, on which all of our practices are built. 'Christians welcome strangers as we ourselves have been welcomed into God through the love of Jesus Christ,' writes Diana Butler Bass. 'Through hospitality, Christians imitate God's welcome.' She tells the story of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, in Seattle, Washington, which hosted a tent city for the homeless on the church's front lawn. 'There's a lot of talk among churches about reaching out to the community and it never happens,' said one church member, 'but our church hosted Tent City. It really makes you think about what churches are supposed to be doing. I mean, what would Jesus have done? He would have hosted Tent City!' . . .
"Not every church is going to build a Tent City on its lawn, serve a breakfast to the homeless, host conversations between former enemies, or provide dinner for prospective new members. Hospitality does not even have to be based in a church building. But whether it is practiced at church or at home, hospitality is a sign of life. Jean Vanier of the L'Arche community writes that 'welcome is one of the signs that a community is alive. To invite others to live with us is a sign that we aren't afraid, that we have a treasure of truth and of peace to share.' Since Jesus is present in our practice of hospitality, as both our host and our guest, we don't have to be afraid. We can trust that we are not alone when we welcome a stranger, but that we are standing with the Risen Christ and are acting as channels of his love and grace.
"We have a treasure of truth and peace to share, and these riches can be made available to others by planting the roots of hospitality — sites, worship, meals, and small groups. From these roots will come the fruits of hospitality — reconciliation, outreach, and new perceptions. These fruits will grow as we open our homes and churches to others and will ripen in our relationships with the strangers who will come to us, since every guest brings us fresh insight into the character and the work of God. John Wesley spoke of the mutuality of ministry and how everyone could expect to be transformed by acts of Christian outreach. This is certainly true in the practice of hospitality, because it opens our eyes to what God is doing in the lives of people who come to us and to what God is doing in our lives as we provide a welcome. Ana Maria Pineda is right to define hospitality as 'the practice of providing a space where the stranger is taken in and known as one who bears gifts,' because the gifts of hospitality are delivered by both guests and hosts. It is never enough for a welcoming congregation to master the art of being a host — a spirit of receptivity to the gifts of guests is required as well. Both giving and receiving must be a part of the experience of everyone involved in Christian hospitality, an arrangement that reflects the character of Jesus himself, the one who comes to us as our guest and our host."
