Hospitality: An Industry or an Act of Discipleship?

“Let mutual affection continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:1-2 (NRSVUE)

Firm, yet slightly soft to the touch.  Golden yellow with a deep red blush kissing its shoulder.  Sweet, fruity, tangy, with a subtle floral aroma capturing the quintessential smell and taste of summer.  It truly was a sensory delight, boasting bright colors, an alluring aroma, and a flavor that caused my mind to do cartwheels, since the days of doing physical cartwheels are behind me!  

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to enjoy my first summer peach while Travis and I were visiting his family in South Carolina, which for the record produces the most peaches of any state in the South — including Georgia, who endearingly likes to call itself “The Peach State.”   Bless their hearts!

Given that folks in South Carolina know a thing or two about peaches, I was fortunate to be able to have that wonderful experience to kickoff the fantastic summer produce season — peaches, for sure, but also blueberries, cherries, plums, corn, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and more — in such a delightful and delectable way.

In fact, it was in this experience of eating that peach (and subsequent ones) that I was given the opportunity to marvel, once again, at the magnificence of God’s hospitality. 

Yes, the peach did provide nourishment, which is one aspect of providing hospitality.  However, the sheer variety of colors, textures, flavors, and scents of peaches — as well as other fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains — demonstrate subtly, but profoundly, God’s unconditional love, kindness, and generosity for and towards us.

It is pretty common these days to think of “hospitality” as providing food to friends and family, or perhaps in terms of the multi-trillion-dollar global industry that includes hotels, restaurants, and often food-related tourist activities.

However, in past centuries, and really up until the 18^th century, hospitality included not only sharing food with family and friends, BUT ALSO with strangers.  And in addition to providing food, hospitality used to also include offering shelter and protection.  

Extending hospitality was not only a common practice across cultures but also was fundamental to Christian discipleship. The Bible repeatedly demonstrates the richer, broader, expanded vision for what hospitality is and should be. 

 The supreme example is Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.

During the third week of our summer series (the week of July 13th), we will explore the role of hospitality by looking at it through the lens of “what we eat.”  We hope you will join us then, and in the meantime, we hope you will pause to consider the following reflection questions:

• What aspects of providing hospitality do you enjoy?
• What makes hospitality challenging (both offering and receiving it)?
• Where do you see your community of faith offering hospitality the way Jesus intended?  In what ways could they fulfill that ministry more fully?

May All Be Well,

Karen H. Webster

HSHC Co-Founder/Executive Director

1“By the eighteenth century, hospitality was viewed by many as an antiquated practice, out of step with busy commercial society, a relic from an earlier time.”  Christine D Pohl. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2024, p. 25.

It is not much to look at!  The once-vivid display of color is now washed out.  Many of the blooms are spent, and the aging tomato vines struggle to hold their fruit.  In many instances, things have literally gone to seed (as captured in the forefront of the photo from left to right – parley, dill, and fennel), and much of the eager anticipation of what is to come has started to fade like a late summer sunset.  The garden isn’t perfect.  But, it is absolutely well enough.

This summer, as Travis and I explored the societal pressure of “perfection” as part of our four-week Summer Series, one of the phrases that came up fairly often in our conversations after worship or during our educational opportunities (in person and online) was the notion of “good enough.”  In other words, rather than striving for “perfection,” many people found that aiming for “good enough” was much more realistic and attainable.  

Now, on the one hand, I absolutely agreed when people shared this sentiment with me; but, at the same time, I found it unsettling.  Why?   The words “good enough,” at least in my mind, kept feeling like an excuse to do things half-heartedly, almost a sort of cop-out.  This wasn’t what people were implying, but that is what my heart kept hearing.  I was feeling the tension between wanting to do things well and taking healthy pride in what I do, while also wanting to remember God’s role and God’s grace in the midst of it all. 

Upon reflecting on why I felt this way, I realized I needed to discover other words that I could use for myself that others might appreciate, too.  It turns out that the phrase “well enough” actually fits what I was looking for, more so than I realized.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of “well” includes [1]*:

• “ in a good or proper manner”
• “satisfactorily with respect to conduct or action”
• “in a kindly or friendly manner”
• “in a way appropriate to the facts or circumstances”

Thus, for me, “well enough” means striving towards excellence (proper manner, satisfactory action, rooted in kindness) while at the same time humbly acknowledging and relying on God’s grace (“for my grace is sufficient for you”) and power (through Christ who dwells in me) to approach the circumstances appropriately.  Or, more simply put, “well enough” in my mind means striving to do things “well” while also being prayerfully attentive to when “enough” is enough!

Returning to our garden, it certainly isn’t what it was several months ago, but its actions are absolutely “appropriate to the circumstances.”  For example, the sunflower petals are beginning to shrivel up and the stems can barely hold the weight of the plants now, so it may seem as though the beauty of the plants (their “perfection”) is starting to wane.  However, the sunflowers are signaling to us, the many goldfinches (one hidden in the photo), and other pollinators that visit our garden that the seeds are ready to harvest.  Similarly, the “spent” (dying) parsley, dill, and fennel plants are all currently preparing to sow their seeds upon the earth so that new plants will come again next spring.

The late-summer garden is not the beautiful, fresh garden of the spring, nor should it be.  Rather, it is exactly what it is supposed to be right now: producing food for animals who are preparing for the winter and putting down the seeds that will sprout into next season’s life when winter breaks.  It is a well-enough garden, appropriate for its time, place, and function.  Perhaps we can take a lesson from this for our own lives: rather than trying to live into some constant, objective, elusive notion of “perfection,” we can recognize that we are well enough, too.

May all be well (enough),

Karen H. Webster

HSHC co-founder/executive director

P.S. – Please check out our “Health Highlight” section in our September 2024 newsletter for some “well enough” reflection questions and several articles that provide some strategies for approaching “perfection” in a healthier way. 

Reference:

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well