When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he gave a list of simple but profound instructions for Christian living. Among them was this command: “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Hospitality is not presented as an optional extra for those who enjoy entertaining. It is a core practice of Christian witness. To open your home, your table, and your heart is to reflect something of God’s welcome.
Hospitality begins with space. For many, that means opening the door of your home. When you invite someone inside, you are saying that they belong in your world. Your home does not need to be perfect or large. What matters is the spirit with which you open the door.
In the early church, homes were central. Believers met in houses to pray, break bread, and encourage one another. Acts 2:46–47 says, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.” The witness of their community life was powerful. The way they welcomed one another drew others to the faith.
When you open your home, you create a space where people can be known. You may host a neighbour for a simple meal, offer a spare room to someone in transition, or gather friends for prayer. These small acts can become signs of God’s kingdom at work.
Hospitality also happens at the table. The table is more than a place to eat; it is a place of fellowship. In Scripture, meals often reveal the heart of God’s welcome. Jesus ate with tax collectors, sinners, and Pharisees. He accepted invitations from those considered unworthy and invited himself into homes where others would not go. Luke 15:2 records the complaint of the religious leaders: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
When you share your table, you imitate the pattern of Jesus. You create space where divisions can soften, where strangers can become friends, and where faith can be seen in practice. A meal is not only food for the body but also nourishment for the soul. It can open the door to honest conversation, reconciliation, and hope.
The table also points forward to God’s ultimate welcome. Revelation 19:9 speaks of the wedding supper of the Lamb. Every time you share a meal in the name of Christ, you offer a glimpse of that coming feast.
Hospitality is more than a physical gesture. It involves the opening of your heart. You can welcome someone into your house without truly receiving them. True hospitality requires attention, presence, and a willingness to make room in your life for another.
Paul’s words in Romans are echoed in Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hospitality means welcoming the unexpected, seeing the image of God in those who come across your path. Sometimes this requires patience, sometimes forgiveness, and always humility.
Jesus himself embodied this kind of hospitality. He did not only invite people into his physical presence. He opened his heart to those who were overlooked and cast aside. His invitation in Matthew 11:28—“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”—remains the model of what it means to welcome others into God’s embrace.
When you practice hospitality, you do more than provide food or shelter. You give witness to the character of God. Throughout Scripture, God is revealed as one who welcomes. He welcomes Israel out of slavery into freedom. He welcomes the outsider, reminding his people in Leviticus 19:34, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” He welcomes his children into covenant, and through Christ, he welcomes all into his family.
Romans 15:7 says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” When you open your home, table, and heart, you are extending the same welcome you have received. You are showing that God’s grace has come near, not only in words but in tangible actions.
Hospitality also witnesses to a world marked by isolation and division. Many people live with loneliness. Many are cut off by culture, language, or circumstance. When you extend hospitality, you stand as a sign of God’s kingdom where none are strangers. Your welcome tells the truth that in Christ there is belonging.
Practicing hospitality requires intention. It may begin with prayer: asking God to show you who needs welcome. It may involve slowing down enough to notice those around you. It may mean inviting people you might not naturally spend time with.
Hospitality can be costly. It takes time, energy, and sometimes resources. But it also opens the way for joy. Jesus said, “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:13–14). The blessing is not in recognition or repayment but in knowing that you have shared in the very heart of God’s work.
Hospitality is not about impressing others but about reflecting God’s love. It is about making space for another, as God has made space for you. When you open your home, table, and heart, you give witness to the gospel. You remind others—and yourself—that the story of faith is one of welcome.
Jesus welcomed the outcast, touched the untouchable, and ate with those the world rejected. To practice hospitality is to follow in his steps. It is to live as a sign of God’s kingdom, where every person finds a place at the table and every heart is invited to come home.
