By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
Ki te noho hoki te tangata iwi ki ki a koe, ki tou whenua, kaua koutou e mahi i te kino ki a ia.
Ki ta koutou kia rite ki tetahi o o koutou tangata whenua te manene e noho ana i a koutou, arohaina ia ano ko koe; he manene hoki koutou i mua, i te whenua o Ihipa: ko Ihowa ahau, ko to koutou Atua.
A āumau ia te oe se tagata ese i lo outou nuu, aua tou te faatiga ia te ia. O le tagata ese o loo āumau ia te outou, ia tusa lava ia ia te outou ma le tama a le eleele, e te alofa atu ia te ia e pei o oe lava ia te oe; auā sa āumau outou i le nuu o Aikupito; o a‘u o Ieova lo outou Atua.
“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:33-34
In Leviticus 19, we are shown what hospitality practically looks like.
1. You shall do them no harm. (verse 33)
2. You shall treat them as an equal. (verse 34)
3. You shall love them as yourself. (verse 34)
What does this hospitality look like for Christians?
Notice the progression in the verses from not doing harm, to treating a stranger with dignity and equality, to loving a stranger as family.
There seems to be an increasing level of care and responsibility. The hospitality these verses talk about is sometimes uncomfortable, challenging, and costly. It puts us in situations where we are not in control, in situations of unpredictability.
One observer writes, “Hospitality is essentially treating others as family. It is incorporating newcomers into your homes, into common, daily activities such as eating a meal, sharing a cup of coffee, or painting a room. It treats peers as brothers, sisters, and cousins. It treats older people as fathers, mothers, aunts, and uncles. It treats children as sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews.”
I was chatting with an old boss, Nigel Pollock, about this and he made an insightful comment. “There is hospitality at the bottom end—sharing between friends—but hospitality at the top end is a lot rarer.” He said, “In New Zealand, almost anyone will lend me their bach, but it’s very rare to find someone who would lend me their bach at Christmas and move out so I can use it."
As Christians, our hospitality should go beyond just convenient acts of kindness. We have been loved by someone who gave his own life to call us a friend.
I’ve noticed that a lot of ministry in churches today is programme-based. 50 years ago, across the movement, it was plate-based. Ministry was done through ordinary people, offering hospitality in ordinary ways.
Though programmes can be helpful, there is something about inviting someone you don’t know very well to have a seat at your table that reflects the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s a small picture of how he brought us, who were once strangers, into his family at the cross.
