This new series aligns with the 40 Days of Community program which Clayton Church is pursuing as a church-wide initiative.
We are commissioned to reach out together by offering hospitality. Today’s point to ponder is that Open hearts lead to open homes The key bible verse is from 1 Peter 4:9:
Open your homes to each other without complaining.
The question to consider is:
Have you had your neighbors into your home lately?
In many ways, my holiday has been an extended experience of hospitality that comes embedded in the Asian culture. Given the tremendous size of the family in Kuching, the local family were so well planned in their hospitality that summary tables were created to help organize the overall hospitality: various groups of overseas visitors were traveling so drivers were assigned to ensure all family members were taken care of, plus a complete table of all the incoming and outgoing flights were mapped with a key column showing whether transportation was required. I embraced this form of hospitality completely and hope to be able repay the kindness and love shown by treating family likewise should and when they come to Melbourne.
Discounting the fact that I am currently overseas and not at home, it is a regular desire of mine to be hospitable and generous to family and friends. From the perspective of neighbourliness, I am privileged to know all my neighbors. Partly having lived in the one address all my life allows me a high level of comfort, but also, we have cultivated a strong sense of neighbourliness amongst each other. Indeed, whilst we are away, our neighbors are keeping watch over the homes. Likewise, when our neighbours travel overseas and for extended durations, we look after their mail, bins and keep watch over their homes in return. Later today, when we go to the airport to fly home, we will do our final shopping to get a gift as a token of our appreciation for our neighbour opposite who is the main contact looking after our place. In this way, hospitality has a practical nature which still applies to my situation of being overseas on travel.
As one of the life group leaders, it is automatic and second nature for me to host and offer my home as a venue for life group. If I could, I would love to be a host family for international exchange students. For me, even without the responsibility and need to be hospitality, the Asian culture aligns me closely to this value anyway.
I love the devotion for today and how it contrasts entertaining with hospitality. The root attitude and heart behind each is clear in how one exalts the host whereas the other is focused on the guests. When I look at the countless examples my aunts and uncles have shown me from all the years of growing up in Melbourne, let alone a Christian faith community, or even the numerous visits to South-East Asia, hospitality is very much part of my character. My childhood dreams for a big house has always been rooted in a desire to have ample space for hosting friends, family and those in need. It is very much my understanding that having a big house is so that it can be used and filled with people. Whilst it remains a dream for the future, I still focus on a lifestyle of hospitality in the present, sharing what I presently have with friends, family and life group.
The final thought goes to the definition of “neighbour”. Originating from a bible study on the Good Samaritan we were challenged to answer that question because being a Good Samaritan requires us to know and identify our neighbours, which is similarly true of Jesus, command to love our neighbours.
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