Many years ago, shortly after we were married, we decided to invest in this hospitality business. We had heard the tapes, knew our biblical imperatives and happened to come across some really dangerous authors who told us that hospitality was not an option. I regret ever having served my neighbor with food and laughter…said no one ever!
I remember inviting over a fairly wealthy family. The father was a gentle soul, who was very successful in his labors. They accepted our invitation and when we returned home from church to get everything ready it dawned on us that our table could only fit four people, but they were a family of 6. Our apartment was a little over 700 square feet and we only had four chairs. After some deliberation, we made the decision to sit on the floor and eat, to which they happily agreed. I remember being slightly embarrassed, but any concerns went away when we started eating and laughing. It was one of the most memorable Sundays in my life!
Here is the truth, as black as Amazonian coffee: those who do not practice hospitality fail to taste the goodness of God. It’s plain and simple. When Paul said, “do hospitality” (διώκοντες (Rom. 12:13; root word engages the concept of “persecution;” think of happily persecuting hospitality), he said that we are to be zealous for this gift. For Paul, and for so many other biblical authors, hospitality was a visible demonstration of our baptism into Christ. Christ hosts us in his body and we host others in our abode.
We shall deal with practicalities throughout, but we must begin this conversation with an important principle found in Solomon. Proverbs 15:17 says: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”
The Bible uses the image of a “fattened ox” because it represents the finest foods available.The contrast is significant in this text because love is to be preferred over the best foods. Abundance and hatred do not go hand in hand. Abundance and hatred produce an un-godly environment–an environment where people do not want to be. Wealth and hatred only lead to disaster, but wealth of love is the secret ingredient to hospitality.
In one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs he writes:
It’s not the barley or the wheat
It’s not the oven or the heat
That makes this bread so good to eat
It’s the needing and the sharing that makes the meal complete.
What makes a meal complete is the sense of sharing and passing and needing oneness in the context of a table, even if that table comes from the meager earnings of a college student or a widow. There, in that moment, when we are joined, something mystical is taking place: we are imitating a table of kings and queens. Whether with herbs or the finest meal, the very presence of image-bearers partaking of food and drink form a sacred bond that affirms our love for God and one another.
And for this entire thing to run as good as a hot cup of ramen noodles in a cold college dorm, we need the recipe of love. We don’t need abundance, we need only a few grateful saints around a table sharing stories and affirming the humanity of one another; for where two or three are gathered around a table, God is in their midst.
