What true hospitality is

This weekend, families in our church are hosting some of the Mennonite youth who are here for a choir festival. Strangers will be welcomed into homes. They will be fed, kept warm and welcomed. Hospitality is one of oldest traditions of the church. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are told by God to welcome strangers as they remember the times in the past when they were the strangers in need of hospitality. In the New Testament we?re told to welcome strangers because in doing so we might welcome angels unawares.

True hospitality is more than just hosting a dinner and inviting friends. It?s opening up a welcoming space for the unknown stranger ? the person you know nothing about. This kind of unconditional welcome is modeled by Jesus and lived out by his followers when we risk giving of ourselves to someone whose intentions are unknown.

Our city is preparing to welcome several thousand strangers on bikes this summer during RAGBRAI. There will be plenty of strangers (and just plain strange people) for everyone. My prayer would be that our community would live up to the ideal of hospitality which not only welcomes those who we believe to be like us, but also those who seem different and whose values might appear to be very different from our own.

Unconditional hospitality blossoms when we nurture it with plenty of grace and forgiveness. Even though Washington?s theme involves ?getting? piggy!? I hope the strangers who pass through our community remember us for our hospitality.