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Hebrews 13: 2 (NIV)
Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
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| Hospitality is inviting others to invade my comfort zone so they can be comforted. It’s sharing my space with a stranger.* |
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I did
some research and I couldn’t find any consensus of opinion on whether the
writer of Hebrews was referring to real angels or was merely speaking
figuratively. There are a couple of stories in the Old Testament where the
guests really were angels (Genesis 18 and 19); but I don’t know if we should
expect that it could happen to us. I do know three things in regard to this
verse: hospitality is our Christian duty; hospitality is to be offered to
strangers, not just our friends and family; and even if we won’t be entertaining heavenly angels, Jesus said that whatever we do to the “least of these” we do to him
(Matthew 25: 40), so we should treat our guests as if Jesus was among them.
Not
everyone has the gift of hospitality.
I don’t, but my mother does. When I was growing up, my dad encouraged my mom to
exercise her gift freely. As a result, traveling evangelists, missionaries on
furlough, Bible college students and professors, and people down on their luck
passed through our house and blessed us on their way. To this day, whenever the
name of some legendary preacher is mentioned, I often brag, “Oh, yes. He stayed
at our house once.”
It is my
Christian duty to be hospitable but it doesn’t come natural for me to practice
it. The memories from my childhood motivate me to get out of my comfort zone
occasionally. If hospitality isn’t your gift either, look for opportunities to invite
angels over to your house!
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| The stranger at the door is the living symbol and memory that we are all strangers here.* |
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