Copyright holder: Tyndale University, 3377 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2M 3S4 Att.: Library Director, J. William Horsey Library Copyright: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Copyright license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Citation: Bramer, Paul. “I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: Hospitality as a Spiritual Practice.” Covenant Companion, 91, no. 2 (2002): 10-11, 20. ***** Begin Content ****** TYNDALE UNIVERSITY 3377 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2M 3S4 TEL:416.226.6620 www.tyndale.ca Note: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Bramer, Paul. “I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: Hospitality as a Spiritual Practice.” Covenant Companion, 91, no. 2 (2002): 10-11, 20. I was a stranger and you welcomed me Hospitality as a Spiritual Practice Paul Bramer Doug and Vera had a large family—seven children in all. Doug was a shop- keeper and lay minister. Finances were tight and second-hand clothes and furniture were the norm. But their modest means did not stop them from welcoming people into their home. The children’s friends were invited over for lunch or dinner several times a week; visiting preachers, missionar- ies, and out-of-town friends always got a meal and a bed. The house being small, overnight guests meant the younger children would sleep under the dining room table, though they considered it an adventure. As the children became teenagers they kept up the habit of inviting friends over. Some of the teens took to calling Doug and Vera “Dad and Mom.” It seemed to meet some need in their lives—they would stand in the kitchen with Vera and help wash dishes just to talk with her. When six young children in the neighborhood became mother- less, the household expanded to fifteen for a while. Somehow one bathroom sufficed. A small anonymous cash gift would sometimes appear in the mailbox, but the cost of hospitality was mainly squeezed from the family budget. At one point a visitor taped on the refrig- erator, among the magnet pictures of missionaries, a small saying that read, “A house with love has elastic walls.” Doug and Vera’s children are all grown now, and each is an active lay- leader or in full-time Christian serv- ice. I’m the eldest of those seven chil- dren. Doug and Vera are my parents, and their example showed me the pro- found impact of the practice of hospi- tality on the lives of guests and hosts. The Greek word xenos can mean “guest” or its counterpart, “host” (like in Romans 16:23, NRSV, “Gaius, who is host to me”). It can also be under- stood to mean “stranger” as in Eph- esians 2:19, “You are no longer strang- [ Page 10 ] ers ... but members of the household of God.” Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35, “I was hungry and you gave me food ... I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” combine these ideas of stranger, guest, and host. Jesus understood hos- pitality and being an outsider. He was born in a stable when there was no other room; during his ministry, he depended on the hospitality of others; he spent the last day before his arrest in a borrowed upper room where he shared a meal with his disciples and spoke to them of the home he was going to prepare for them. He knew how it felt to have his feet washed, the common courtesy of hosts in Jesus’ time—and to have such hospitality withheld. He identified with the home- less, the refugee, the traveler, the vul- nerable, the deprived, the needy, the stranger. Our word xenophobia means a fear of strangers or foreigners. Fear of the unknown or those who arc different is a nearly universal phenomenon. But Christians are supposed to have philox- enia—love for the stranger—a desire to extend a hand, make a place, meet a need. We are to welcome strangers, making them instead honored guests. Hospitality says, “there’s a place for you here.” In its traditional meaning, hospitality is the free and cheerful pro- vision of shelter, food, and friendship to a guest in our homes—whether we know them or not. This welcome may be extended to any number of situa- tions, such as church, work, or a pub- lic space. It may be as simple as giving a smile when someone arrives, mov- ing further into a row at a meeting so that latecomers can find a place, or giv- ing people a ride. Hospitality also rep- resents an attitude and way of life so our thoughts and language, rituals and institutions are shaped by a compas- sionate and inclusionary spirit. Why be hospitable? Primarily, be- cause our God is hospitable. Deuteron- omy 10:18 tell us that God loves strang- ers, and gives them food and clothing.” Just as the Hebrews were to love the stranger because they had been strang- ers in the land of Egypt, we who were without a spiritual home know what it is like to have been completely taken in by God. [ Quote on top of middle column of page 11 ] ... a visitor taped on the refrigerator, among the magnet pictures of missionaries, a small saying that read, “A house with love has elastic walls.” [ end quote ] The gospel itself is the good news of God’s hospitality—free provision of our eternal needs through Jesus Christ and our full inclusion in the household of God. We are to be hospitable because hospitality is an act of love. And we are to be hospitable because sometimes and somehow, in the stranger or per- son in need, Christ comes to us. In Reaching Ont: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Henry Nouwen pre- sents hospitality as a primary indicator of the healthy and genuine Christian life. But the transient nature of mod- ern life has made most of us stran-gers to one another. Our fears, self-suffi- ciency, busyness, privacy, desire for comfort, hurts, and hates have made us unwilling to taking each other in. We also neglect hospitality because it is difficult. It requires cooperation, forethought, intentionality, and prayer. So how can we develop the spiritual discipline of hospitality? First, we have to realize that wel- coming people into our homes affects our spouse, children, roommate, rela- tive—anyone who lives there. Be re- spectful of the needs and boundaries of the household, and build up a spir- it of cooperation so that hosting can be shared and enjoyed by all. It also helps to think ahead. Keep a supply of easily-prepared food for meals and basic provisions for overnight guests. You are not “entertaining” or “impressing” —you arc making a per- son feet welcomed and included. Be intentional. Strangers don't just stop by much in our society, so we need to deliberately seek out those who might benefit from hospitality. Prayer [ Page 11 ] helps prepare our hearts for hospital- ity. It helps us be ready to listen, learn, and laugh—to be people that others want to be around. Reviving the practice of hospitality can break down many of the barriers, such as race, age, and class, that divide us. Once someone has been our guest, they are no longer strangers. They are friends. In our church, for example, welcoming a group of Sudanese ref- ugees has made us more aware of what is happening in their country because now it affects our friends. Those who extend hospitality usu- ally find themselves gaining more than they give. Taking in those from other cultures and subcultures is a way of traveling and learning. Your guests will open up windows to other worlds and meanings and people. Bonding occurs when table and story and laughter are shared. And when, in the context of hospitality, you pray or converse about things of the Lord with a fellow believ- er or share Christ with those who have not yet understood what he has for them, there will be a blessing, a sense that Christ himself is present. May we commit to a lifestyle of hospitality for the sake of others, ourselves, and Christ and his kingdom. □ Recommended reading Practicing Our Faith: A Guide for Con- versation, Learning, and Growing, Do- rothy Bass Reaching Ont: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Henri J.M. Nouwen And Yon Welcomed Me: A Sourcebook on Hospitality in Early Christianity, Amy G. Oden, editor The Company of Strangers: Christians and the Renewal of America’s Public Life, Park- er J. Palmer, Foreword by Martin E. Marty Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, Christine D. Pohl SoulFeast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, Marjorie J. Thompson, Foreword by Henri J. M. Nouwen Paul Bramer is assistant professor of Christian education at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. [ Page 20 ] ***** This is the end of the e-text. This e-text was brought to you by Tyndale University, J. William Horsey Library - Tyndale Digital Collections *****