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3 John 8
“We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.”
If you walk into any store this week, you can see that our world has a very particular view of hospitality. It’s currently a multi-million-dollar industry with books, TV shows, and entire social media platforms dedicated to creating the perfect setting to entertain guests. It’s easy to start thinking that Christian hospitality means inviting our friends and families over to our perfectly decorated houses for amazing meals and celebrations.
Now there is nothing wrong with that. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a meal or gathering hosted by someone who has a gift for entertaining, you know what an incredible blessing it is. And those occasions can be filled with Christian hospitality.
But hospitality is more than that – and hospitality is something that all Christians are called to.
In 3 John, the apostle John was specifically commending Gaius for supporting other believers who were traveling through, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, even though they were strangers to the church.
There are several things to notice about Gaius’s hospitality:
Gaius was welcoming strangers in. Hospitality involves making space for people we do not know or do not know well. It’s making people who are on the “outside”--of our church, of our community, of our families–feel welcome.
Gaius was meeting real needs. These traveling teachers weren’t getting support from anyone else. They needed food, shelter, and financial support. Hospitality involves becoming aware of and then meeting real needs. Whether it’s the physical need for food and shelter, or the need to be seen and heard.
Gaius was reflecting the love of God. This was not about him but about Jesus. Hospitality involves demonstrating God’s love to people by what we do and how we make people feel. Our goal in hospitality is not to make people love us but to make them want to love Jesus.
Whenever we make space for strangers, meet the needs of others, and show God’s love, we participate in gospel work. We are joining Christ in the work that He came to earth to do. Jesus’ entire ministry was a gift of hospitality.
Jesus welcomed us while we were strangers. He came into a world that had turned its back on him and chose to live among us. He welcomed us into his kingdom and his family.
Jesus saw our real need for a restored relationship with God. He provided the way to meet that need through his life on earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the grave.
Jesus extended this gracious hospitality out of the perfect love of God. We read in 1 John 4:9,
“This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”
So, as we look forward to celebrating with our friends and family this Christmas, I want to challenge us to rethink our idea of hospitality.
How can we create space in this busy season to make people feel welcome? In what tangible ways can we meet their deepest needs and pour out the love of Christ, as we share in the work that Christ began and has called us to continue?
Who needs an invitation to your table?