The Ministry of Hospitality

Hospitality

It has been with some sadness that our family looks on today’s hurried culture, where it seems that most people only have time for their own schedules and agendas. As a whole, we seem to have lost the art of making time for people – just to visit with them, sharing our lives and what the Lord has been doing in our family. We feel there is more of a need now than ever for the ministry of hospitality, living in a country where many people are too busy to eat dinner and spend time with their own family members, much less have another family join them. We would like to share a few things that the Lord has shown us concerning hospitality.

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). There are many common excuses for neglecting the ministry of hospitality, all of which our family has been guilty of using in the past – “We don’t have time”, “We are too tired”, “We really don’t know those people, or have anything in common with them”, “We really aren’t very good at entertaining other people outside the family”, “I’m not a people person”, etc. However, this verse tells us that every man has received the gift of hospitality, and we are to use it joyfully to bless others! The Lord has revealed to us that this is one way that we can glorify Him, and do it as a family ministry. And we have found that the rewards of using this gift far outweigh the work that goes into it.

Titus 1 also commands us to be “lovers of hospitality” (vs.8), but the chapter goes on to say that we must be careful whom we have in our houses. Especially as we seek to raise our children to be pure and Godly in this world, we must use discretion with whom we allow them to interact. Even when we fellowship with like-minded families, we keep a close eye on the children, and don’t usually allow them to go upstairs by themselves, or be in a room where we can’t hear what they are doing or talking about. This has been a lesson learned through many mistakes and regrets, as children are so easily influenced by their peers in their behavior, character, and attitudes.

Know the Tastes of Your Guests

Over the past few years, the Lord has been teaching our family many wonderful things about healthy eating, and ways to improve our diet so we have better health and increased energy. But as we fellowship with others, we have found that each family is at a different place in that journey. It is important that you try to discern what food would be enjoyable to your guests – remember, you are doing this as a ministry to them. You may have to adjust your normal menu for that evening. If you aren’t comfortable doing this, don’t miss out on the blessing of having people over! Invite them to come for a snack, or dessert, or just an evening of games with no food at all!

Also, we should be sensitive to our guests in other areas besides food – learn what they enjoy doing, and plan your day or evening with them accordingly. For example, there is an older single man in our church that doesn’t have any family in the area. We have enjoyed getting to know him better and invite him over for dinner often. Because he lives by himself, he loves every opportunity to eat a home-cooked meal and enjoys just being with our family. He is quite intelligent and likes to play trivia-type games, which we make an effort to do when he is at our house. He is always very grateful for any time we spend with him, and we have benefited from his wealth of knowledge.

Often, we invite larger families over, and the mother and father just enjoy the chance to sit for a while and visit. Our younger daughter loves playing with little children and will take them into an adjoining room so the adults can keep an eye on what they are doing without having to worry about keeping them entertained. When our 21 year old son is home, he also loves taking the kids outside and playing a game of baseball or tag, so the adults can have a (somewhat!) uninterrupted conversation.

On the other hand, when we invite families with older children, or no children, we will just sit around the table and talk most of the evening. Almost always, before our guests leave, we will end the evening by praying and singing several hymns.

The Jorgensen Family