The theme of this week in the church calendar is hospitality. On the surface, the biblical and redemptive significance of hostility may not seem obvious, but a quick look at some of the scriptures traditionally associated with this week shows us otherwise. Genesis 18 recounts the hospitality of Abraham to no one less than the LORD himself. In the midst of his hospitality, God agrees to spare the life of Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family. But surpassing that gift, God also renews his promise to Abraham of an heir, the first fulfillment of a seed, a son through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed. In Deuteronomy 10, as part of his covenant law that spells out love of neighbor, the LORD commands his people to show hospitality. But the command is not simply what we owe the LORD and our neighbors created in his image; it is a response to the faithful covenant care of the Lord himself for us. In one of the best loved passages in scripture, in Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd promises to spread a covenant table of hospitality in his own house to his rescued people, forever. The book of Ruth embodies the faithful hospitality of Boaz to a stranger to the covenant promises of God, and in the love that flows from Boaz’s kindness, all Israel is blessed.
When we come to the New Testament, Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that on the day of judgment, hospitality towards those in need – or the lack of it – will be a mark of his sheep – and the goats. In Luke 14, Jesus shows by word and deed the need for a hospitality that reaches out to those in need – physically, emotionally, spiritually. Indeed, near the very end of the New Testament, we find a book that deals specifically and directly with hospitality, the short book of 3 John. Let us pray that the reality of hospitality in attitude and action will mark our life together as those who been received by the LORD, both now and forever.