“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

I grew up in an era (1950’s) when people still sat on front porches and visited with people who stopped by.  My Grandma had a welcoming front porch with a rocking chair and a glider and room for visitors to sit for a while on Sunday afternoons.

My very small family home (filled to the brim with mom, dad and 5 of us kids) was also a magnet for visitors.  An endless number of relatives, friends, and neighbors would come to “cook out”, play volleyball and have fun together- “the more the merrier” Mom would say.

As a teenager I began to realize it wasn’t just family and friends who showed up at our house for a meal or an extended visit.  There was the family with the son who had schizophrenia, the children of the woman who was hospitalized with a “nervous breakdown”, the elderly woman who rode to and from church with us whose name I never knew.

I recently found a little book from my childhood (If Jesus Came to My House ) that illustrates the idea of treating your guests as though Jesus himself came for a visit- guests we know and guests who are still strangers to us.  Reading it again reminded me of how many opportunities I have to show hospitality in big or small ways every day.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Help me to be hospitable with my words and actions, generous with the gifts you have given me, and welcoming to friends, family and strangers too. Amen