08 Jul 08 — Some thoughs about hospitality

The true sin of Sodom was and always will be inhospitality. When visitors came to town and Lot welcomed them into his home, the people of the town rose up and tried to rape Lot’s visitors. Needless to say they were not giving their town’s visitors the welcome they deserved and that courtesy and custom demanded. This was how Israel’s Lawyers, the Prophets and Jesus all understood this unfortunate incident: for them it was always an issue of inhospitality — the intended rape was the method of Sodom’s inhospitality.

Listen to what Jesus has to say about those who do not welcome his ministry — to those who are inhospitable to God’s Word: “And you Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to Heaven? No! You will be cast down to Hades!’ For if the mighty-deeds being done in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Moreover I say to you, on the Day of Judgment, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:23-24; my translation)

Hospitality is a big issue all through our Bible. Nations and cities have fallen because they were not hospitable. And more than a few individuals ran into trouble because they did not observe the customs and courtesies of hospitality. Unfortunately, more and more, our culture loses sight of this desire on God’s Part for hospitality. I think in the South we hold on to it a bit more than in some other parts of the country because Southern “gentility” is such a part of our culture. And yet, even here, it sometimes seems as if we are fighting a losing battle. I think it is safe to say that whatever we are doing, as much or as well as we are, there is always room to improve when it comes to being more welcoming and more hospitable.

And part of that is not just us opening our doors and being more friendly or attentive of our immediate neighbors. That this country does not have some form of universal health care is a sin of inhospitality. That there are all too many places in this country that are “downwind” or “down-water” of under-regulated polluters is a sin of hospitality to all our neighbors living there. That there are still people who seek to limit the equality of their glbti/q neighbors is a sin of inhospitality. That there are still those practicing racism, ageism, ableism, sexism, and all forms of antagonisms to other people’s faiths are just more examples of the inhospitality that is crippling our great nation. Why? Because all too many of us are being forced to worry more about the welcome we are receiving than on how welcoming we ourselves can be. And because all too many of us are having to worry about protecting our families or our very own bodies from abuse, pollution, ridicule, etc.

Jesus (and indeed the whole Bible) shows us a better way. Indeed, there could be no greater act of hospitality than Jesus offering his body and blood for our sakes. If we really want to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we should be willing to be as welcoming as he was. Perhaps a good start would be opening our eyes to what is going on all around us, and then opening our hearts as we see the unjust pain and suffering that so many of our neighbors are experiencing. And the only way we can do that is by welcoming those neighbors into our lives — in person.