Practice Hospitality

By Pastor Doug Shotsky
Romans 12:13(The Living Bible) - When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. 
 
1 Peter 4:9–10 NIV - Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Practicing hospitality, like any other gift, is a gift from our Lord. Many of us know that person who has the house that everyone wants to go to. They’re always inviting people over and they seem to have never met a stranger.  When you’re at their house you feel at home, you enjoy the food, the company, and time goes quickly because you’re caught up in the enjoyment of the present instead of mulling over what’s next. Their house is usually pristine, but if you spill something they’re the first to come and assure you that it’s no big deal. I’ve had several friends like this over the years, and I usually can’t wait to have another invitation to their home, because I usually feel so full of joy and life when I leave that it’s something I feel like I could always use more of. 
 
But if I’ve learned one thing in Alto it’s that hospitality goes so much further beyond the boundaries of someone who has the “gift” of hospitality. Hospitality is so much broader than most of us think, and the beauty of this is that we can all do it! The key, just like with so many other things in life, is intentionality. 
 
As the scripture talks about above, we should, “get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.” So first of all, if any of you are traveling down Interstate 75 to go south over the next couple of years, the Shotskys will live 10-15 minutes off of that route outside of Lexington, Kentucky, so I’m taking this opportunity to invite you to stay with us, or at the very least to stop and share a meal! We’ll have an extra bedroom, and the Shotsky Hotel will be open for business at a reasonable rate of FREE! (We may ask that you speak to us when we’re together, or that could be a little weird!)
 
These are things that so many of us have gotten out of the habit of doing. Not knowing anyone when we came here last August, I knew that it would be my responsibility to connect with people, because as a pastor I believe that my responsibility is to shepherd the flock, and in order to do this effectively I had to get to know the flock, and in order to get to know the flock I had to take the initiative to be with the sheep. This certainly is a challenge, but I’m usually up for a good challenge, and here’s what I’ve learned about hospitality, that I hope can be helpful for you!
 

• Invite people to get together and set a date! I can’t count the number of times that I’ve simply said, “let’s get together”, but more than that followed up to actually set a time. With all the modes of communication (a call, a text, an email, facebook messenger, etc.) it’s easy to follow up by communicating some actual dates and times that will work. A good rule of thumb is to give someone at least 2-3 options of times you’ll be free, and if they don’t work for them, ask them for at least 2 options of times that could work for them. 
• If you don’t know someone’s name, take the time to find out. It’s ok to ask them several times (lay down your pride), to ask someone else, or to look in the church directory (We even have a smartphone app with the entire directory on it that you can take with you everywhere!). It’s worth the effort to take the time to find out people’s names; people appreciate being known. I once had a man offer me a job when I was a waiter, because I remembered his name the second time he came in the restaurant. 
• Invite people to your home. Don’t wait for others to reach out to you, you have to be the initiative taker on this one! Not everyone is used to having people in their homes, or for that matter really wants other people in their home. I’ve found that by inviting others to my home that it breaks down a barrier and doesn’t put the pressure on them to have to host. Many of the times that I have invited folks to our home, they have turned the tables and invited us to their home instead. In our world today, many of our homes have become an escape from the world where we spend time with our families, so opening up our homes to others communicates a message to others that they are like family. If you don’t have a home or prefer a neutral meeting ground, it is perfectly ok to go out to eat, get coffee together, or take a walk at a park. 
• Share a meal together. There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus and his disciples sharing a meal together or with others. There’s something special about sharing a meal together. Someone is giving of their resources and taking their time to prepare food, so they can enjoy a time of fellowship with you. 
• When you spend time with people you actually remember their names and get to know them. So often in church we shake hands and introduce ourselves, only to do this several more times with the same people and we still don’t remember their names! It can be impersonal and eventually becomes embarrassing when we’ve seen someone so many times, but for the life of us we can’t remember their name.
• Share your story with others, and ask them about their lives. We all want to be known and understood. When you spend time with others ask them about their lives. Be prepared with questions about their childhood, their interests, their families, their work, and any other areas that could help you get to know them better. Take time to listen so that you show you have a genuine interest in what people are sharing with you, and make sure you reciprocate by sharing some about your life as well. Be mindful not to overshare in the beginning! Most of us have experienced a person who shares too much too soon, and it can be pretty awkward. 
• Accepting an invitation is hospitality too! If someone approaches you and wants to get together or invites you to an event, turning them down or not showing up communicates a message that you don’t want to be with them, or that they’re not important enough to have your time. I understand that we can’t make every event, but at least communicate why you cannot make a time, and if possible set up another time to get together that does work for you. That allows you to keep healthy boundaries, and lets others know that you value their relationship. Who wants to throw a party, or invite people to hangout and have no one show up? 

 
I’m sure this is not an exhaustive discourse on hospitality, but a simple list of things that I hope many of you will find helpful, so you can develop a deeper relationship with others in the Body of Christ. My challenge for you this week is to reach out beyond your normal comfort zone and practice hospitality!