Missions Textbook 52 Hospitaliy - The Love of Strangers

We Never Saw It Coming: An Introduction to Christian Missions (textbook)

If a second thread (besides evangelism) could be woven throughout our story, I think it would be the thread of hospitality. Austrians are REALLY good at hospitality. Sometimes their hospitality spilled into “entertaining,” which is only planned to impress, but overall, Austrians were really good at making a person feel comfortable in their home.

I learned how to make coffee from an Austrian lady. I learned how to show respect to our guests, by anticipating their needs and wants and providing them matter-of-factly. Almost all the Austrian dishes I prepare, I learned from someone in Austria. Sunday after-church invitations were the pinnacle of hospitality. We would arrive at their home, and good smells were already drifting from the kitchen. Or maybe Papa was going to grill. The host would make sure we had something to drink and something on which to munch, while the hostess disappeared into the kitchen (“No, I don’t want help; you relax.”) The meal began with soup, and then there was salad and meat and potatoes. After we ate all we could, for the hostess insisted on giving us seconds, we would leave the table and go for a long, leisurely walk. During the walk, we would break up into pairs or groups, and the conversations were rich and meaningful. When we finally meandered back to the house, dessert and coffee was next, with more conversation. We would often talk so long and so deeply, that suddenly we would realize that it was suppertime. No problem: bread and cheese and cold cuts came out, and we stayed and talked until all of us had to get our children home to bed.

We were also the recipients of much wonderful long-term hospitality. Missionaries welcomed us to Europe. Generous believers from Eastern Europe gave us their best. Supporters in North America made sure our children felt love and family. People in churches in North America and in Europe let us housesit or use their vacation homes. Christian Missions in Many Lands, provided a home, car and food. Strangers took us out to dinner in restaurants we could never afford.

It became evident almost from the time we set foot in Europe that evangelism had to include hospitality. While in language school, we befriended Mary and invited her to spend Christmas with us. Once we got to Graz, we invited neighbors, believers, students, and travelers to come into our home and enjoy at least a cup of coffee. Every evangelistic Bible study included something to drink and something to munch on. When the conviction of the Holy Spirit got really strong, a couple pretzels or a coffee refill could relax the tension. Other ways of practicing hospitality included having missionaries stay with us, inviting the church to meet in our apartment, and giving visitors from North America and Europe a friendly place to stay.

Hospitality has to be learned and practiced. To say, “O I don’t have the gift of hospitality” demonstrates a lack of understanding of what it is and how it works. I did not grow up in a hospitable home. Strangely, even before I knew anything about hospitality, I bought two sets of silverware because I knew someday I would be serving large groups. When we had eleven people staying in our apartment, I sure was thankful for all that silverware!

My first awareness of how to show care for one another really began at Bible college in the dorm when other girls would invite me to share a bowl of popcorn. My education continued in Iran in 1972, when I went there as a nanny and helper – short-term missionary – for ten weeks. The missionaries gave me free room and board, and the Iranians – believers in Jesus and those who didn’t – were my first experience of hospitality to strangers. They always made sure your cool drink or fragrant cup of tea never ran out. When Floyd and I moved to Portland, we were showered with hospitality from the first day we visited Eastgate Bible Chapel. The women there were so willing to teach me, and I arrived in Austria somewhat prepared to serve people in this way.

We always recommend Alexander Strauch’s highly readable, comprehensive book on hospitality called The Hospitality Commands.[1] In this little book he lays out all the scriptures on hospitality. In the New Testament, caring for strangers was one of the hallmarks of the believer’s changed life and evidence of spiritual growth. Priscilla and Aquila in the Acts of the Apostles first welcomed Paul into their home in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3), while they were in exile from Rome. Then they traveled with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19) and eventually back to Rome (Romans 16:3-5). In each city, the group of believers met in their home (1 Corinthians 16:19).

Hospitality should be a large part of any missionary endeavor, done willingly and without grumbling (First Peter 4:9). Without it, the unsaved are not really able to see Christianity in action – especially if their culture is one of hospitality.

[1] Alexander Strauch, The Hospitality Commands (Littleton, CO: Lewis & Roth Publishers, 1995).

We Never Saw It Coming: An Introduction to Christian Missions (textbook)

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