You know how the story goes. Your son or daughter swears that while you were gone he or she only invited two friends over to watch a movie and eat popcorn. How those other twenty-five people got there with beer is still a mystery. They were not invited but your young host felt pretty uncomfortable just kicking them out. You did teach them about good hospitality after all.
That sure is a twisted view of hospitality, perhaps, but it does make me reflect on those I am willing to welcome into my home and those I am not. Who is my neighbor? Would I extend hospitality to the person that is alone? I have done so for holidays. But I have known them well. Would I invite someone into my home that I did not know? It could be unsafe. But what if I found myself alone somewhere without any connections. Where would I turn? Who could I trust?
There are no simple answers here but I wonder if we should really have the luxury of not asking the question. If the Christian will not invite in the lost and forsaken, who will? In the coming days, I suggest we all reflect on those in our midst who seem to be alone. Who can we invite into our lives who need something much more important than a party? Who is out there who simply need friends? They may not need a physical shelter but they do need the warmth of Christian hospitality and the kindness of others.
—Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS