The Hospitality Of God

Jul 14, 2023

In the creation poem, God demonstrates hospitality to all of humanity.

His generosity towards us, based on His enduring goodness and kindness, ensures we have all we need to live and thrive.

I, Daniel Jackson, am originally from San Diego but have spent more than 15 years doing ministry in the UK and throughout Europe. Most recently, my wife and I have focused our work in our local neighborhood with children, families, and the rough-sleeping or vulnerably-housed community.

With the hospitality of God in mind, we attempt to embody and reflect that welcome to any we encounter.

Even the word welcome, so associated with hospitality, when broken down to its old English roots, describes a person arriving as bringing pleasure, or, it is good that you have come. I aim to hold a generous welcome to everyone who comes to us.

This welcome is expressed in a few different ways.

The demands and strains on families and parents seem more acutely felt than ever before. In the UK, inflation, wage stagnation, and skyrocketing bills have led to a cost of living crisis. We attempt to lighten these loads and share in their burdens as an act of embodied hospitality each week through an after-school cooking club for children. Kids learn to cook a complete, tasty meal, and families can come to eat without shopping, cooking, or cleaning. We hope that this allows parents and families to be more present with each other over the dinner table.

In this case, the welcome attempts to remove variables that intensify the strain on families and replace them with the ingredients needed for a beautiful evening together. We see quality connections between children and parents over the dinner table, including in families that would not typically enter a church building. There is relaxation, a winding down, and a visual enjoyment of each other's presence. One parent wrote that their child was so proud of the food they prepared that they tried everything, which was not a regular practice.

Another area where God's hospitality is practically demonstrated is in a twice-weekly meal served out of the church. We participate in a charity that prepares meals from food destined for the dumpster. Over two days each week, more than 150 portions are made and served in a pay-as-you-feel format. This format ensures that no individual is excluded. There are several benefits to this project. While it does not intend to be a soup kitchen, it is a natural result. Food is saved from being thrown away; therefore, there is an environmental and economic impact.

Finally, there is a social element where the community comes together to eat. As many of the volunteers are retirees, they can give back to their neighborhoods and find meaningful connections in one another. This sampling of broader society is unique, and the church is the venue for bringing them together.

God's hospitality to humanity ultimately led to Jesus' death on the cross.

The length He goes to extend His welcome to us knows no end. His welcome, where we please Him when we come to Him, is constant for us all. Jesus makes this possible.

The church is the primary setting for the manifestation of God's hospitality to all of humanity, and we are the conduit and reflection of it. May we continue to embody His welcome to all we encounter.