Hospitality

 

[Jesus said] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40 ESV).

 

Perhaps you, like me, find yourself inevitably drawn back to the annual tradition of watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The main character played by Chevy Chase is Clark Griswold. He wants nothing more than to make sure his family has the merriest Christmas possible. From dragging them into the middle of nowhere to find the perfect tree, to painstakingly adorning his house with as many twinkle lights as humanly possible, the traditions means a lot to Clark and he wants everyone to enjoy them as much as he does. Clark learns his lesson about what's really important during the season of giving, even if that means giving up your strangle-hold on Christmas. One of the classic scenes is when the silent majesty of Clark's winter morn is demolished by a uniquely disturbing sight outside his window. Christmas day has finally come, and Cousin Eddie is outside emptying the chemical toilet from his mobile home into Clark's sewer drain. Eddie's reason for such a fragrant display? "The (expletive deleted) was full" he merrily declares, hoisting a morning beer to the crisp winter air. Ellen reminds him to be kind because Eddie doesn't know any better, to which Clark declares he ought to because what he's doing is illegal.

 

Clark’s home is full of strange characters for the holiday. However, the plot takes us humorously to a wonderful conclusion – hospitality is an essential. In Peter’s day, hospitality involved more than making room. Not only did a host focus on a guest’s needs for food and shelter, but hospitality called for a warm welcome and kindness. It even had a certain ritual. On one occasion, Jesus reprimanded a begrudging host, pointing out what he had failed to do, no washing of feet, no welcoming kiss, and no anointing with oil, in other words, no hospitality (cf. Luke 7:44-47).

 

Hospitality calls for accepting someone as a friend — no longer a stranger. It flows from loving God. Today’s Scripture provides some strong words about ministering to people who were hungry, poor, strangers, or in prison. Offering hospitality means being ready for the unexpected so that we can welcome people as Jesus did. We don’t need a hotel to do so. We merely need the right attitude!