The first choice in missions : philoxenia or xenophonia?

Abstract

Hospitality is the forgotten factor in world And yet it can be one 0£ the most accessible e££ective means 0£ communicating the Gospel to neighbor and to a needy world. mission. and aost a needy God's people in the Old Testaaent lived in a world where the stranger was initially treated with £ear and suspicion, and yet at the same time with curiosity and welcome. Israel was instructed to re£lect God1 s love in her hospitality toward the stranger, whether such a stranger was a £oreigner, or a so3ourner in her midst. Experiencing a welcome among God1 s people was £or such a stranger a maximum, opportunity to meet Israel 1 s God. God 1 s Son came to earth as a Guest, depending on the hospitality 0£ others £rom Bethlehem onwards, and yet was also a Divine Host, breaking bread £or His disciples at His last meal with them. And He sent out His £ollowers as dependent on the open hearts and homes 0£ others. Since they learned to be good guests, they could also be good hosts, building a communication network that signi£icantly helped the spread 0£ the Gospel in the £irst £aw centuries. The hospitality pattern has continued in £its and starts throughout church history, and successes and £ailures o£ten existed aide by aide: an insular Catholic Church, £or example, spawned the gracious openness 0£ the monastery chain. Hospitality beckons today as a winsome practice which can help accomplish God1 a mission. We must £irst learn to accept i~ £ram the Father, and then to practice it in speci£ic, practical ways in widening circles 0£ contact. We need to start with hospitable attitudes to our marriage partner and children, then as a £amily to our Christian and non-Christian £riends in the comaunity, and then as a church to our God-given ''pariah". And hospitality doesn1 t stop there. As Christian citizens 0£ a nation, we are to reach out and make a hoae for the willing immigrants and unwilling re£ugeea whoa God has placed in our midst. The welcome sign on our door is ultimately addressed to the entire world.