Hospitality is the creation of free space, where strangers become friends.
Henri Nouwen

Hospitality

Hospitality is about coffee hour and so much more. At St. John's hospitality is our way of life. Hospitality is about welcoming others as we have been welcomed into God's household as brothers and sisters, friends in Christ.

Hospitality is at the heart of our Judeo-Christian faith. The patriarch Abraham is considered to be a supreme practioner of hospitality. In Genesis, he and Sarah reach out in hospitality to three strangers, offering them a meal. While they are eating, one gives them a message that could only have come from God.

Jesus traveled to spread the Good News, and often stayed in people's homes, sharing his wisdom with those who warmly received him.

Similarly, Paul traveled and taught in homes. As hospitality was extended, the Good News was proclaimed. Without such welcoming, the gospel message might never have spread beyond the boundaries of Palestine.

Gospel hospitality encourages us to create an environment where God's grace is felt and heard. Through a handshake, hug or in just the right words someone needs to hear, strangers become friends.