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ep 24 - Gather Around the Table: The Biblical Case for Hospitality and Why Someone Is Waiting for Your Invitation

9/17/20269 min read

Series: Open the Door | Part 02
Previous episode: From Hermit Crab to Open Door (Part 1) | A Practical and Biblical Guide for Building Community

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Last week we talked about the practical tools that help us cross the threshold of meeting new people. The five questions loaded into your proverbial conversation clip. The difference between the person who loves to talk and the person who tends to retreat. And why no matter which one you are, your personality is not an excuse to avoid community.

This week we go deeper. Because opening the door to friendship is one thing. But what happens after you open it? You gather around a table. You extend the invitation. You set the space. You practice the beautifully biblical and radically countercultural act of hospitality. That is what this episode is about.

And before we dive in, a moment that started this whole conversation:

I think it is really cool how our kids, if you ever take them on a play date or even to a playground where they do not know anyone, they will just walk up to random kids and strike up a conversation. And I wonder, when do we lose that? At what point do we stop doing that? Well, it does not have to look exactly the same. But I think there is a playground version of you that will just strike up a conversation and welcome someone to your table. And she exists.

THE 7 LETTERS CLUB

Before we get into it, a quick word. The 7 Letters Club is a pen pal community I created specifically with you in mind. If you are looking for real connection beyond the comment section and the group chat, this is it. A small circle of three women. Prompts, letterhead, envelopes, stamps, fun little surprises, everything comes included. All you have to do is show up and write.

There is also a quiz on the website to help you find out what kind of pen pal writer you are. Go check it out.

theologyandtestimony.com and click on the 7 Letters Club tab.

RECAP FROM LAST WEEK

In Part 1 of this series we talked about opening the door to new friendships as an adult, especially in seasons of transition. The practical tools included loading five questions into your proverbial conversation clip so you are never standing in a room wondering what to say. We also talked about the theology of community, why our personality inclinations are not an excuse to avoid connecting, and the power of a simple coffee invitation to move a conversation from surface level to something real.

If you missed it, go back and listen first. This episode builds directly on it.

THE HONEST QUESTION

When you think of the Christian church, what words come to mind?

Hospitality probably does not land at the top of that list, and that is worth sitting with because it probably should.

The good news is that hospitality is not something you either have or you do not. It is something you practice. It is something you grow into, and like all the fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to actually produce it even when it does not come naturally.

THE PASSAGE

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."

UNPACKING THE PASSAGE

Romans 12 is one of the richest chapters in the entire New Testament when it comes to practical Christian living. It opens with the call to be transformed by the renewing of our minds rather than conformed to the patterns of the world. It covers spiritual gifts, service, prophecy, teaching, generosity, and exhortation. And then it lands here in verses 9 through 13 with this sustained portrait of what genuine love actually looks like in practice.

Let love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Contribute to the needs of the saints. Seek to show hospitality.

Every one of those is a verb. An action. Something you do. Not a feeling you wait to have.

The first time I walked into my church back in Jacksonville in 2013 the love I experienced felt almost fake because she had never experienced anything like it. People going out of their way to talk to her. Hugs from strangers. Then eventually I learned and years later, that love transformed into more action like food for two weeks after every birth and clothes for the kids for their first two years of life. That church set the bar for every church we would visit after it.

That is what Paul is describing in Romans 12. A community where love is not abstract. It shows up and feeds people, clothes people, and hugs strangers who just walked through the door.

And the last phrase of verse 13 is the one we are anchoring this entire episode to: seek to show hospitality.

Not wait until you feel hospitable. Not show hospitality when everything is ready.

Seek it.

Pursue it.

Make it something you actively go after.

WHAT THE EARLY CHURCH ACTUALLY DID

Acts 2:44-47 ESV

"And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people."

This is what the early church looked like. Every. Single. Day. Breaking bread in their homes. Receiving food with glad and generous hearts. Not once a month at a potluck. Not at the annual church picnic. Every day.

Now we are not necessarily being called to sell all of our possessions, though Ananias and Sapphira are a useful reminder that no one was forced to give everything. People had the freedom to choose, and yet here is a people giving radically and opening their homes constantly.

And I want to point out something: they received food with glad and generous hearts. The word glad matters here. This was not duty-driven hospitality. It was joyful, generous, and very much Spirit-filled.

The early church understood something we have largely forgotten. The table is where walls come down. The table is where a stranger becomes a sister. The table is where the gospel gets demonstrated . . . not just declared.

THE JEWISH FEASTS AND THE TABLE

The Jewish people had so many different holidays that literally revolved around gathering around the table to remember something God had done. The Passover feast. The feast of unleavened bread. Feast after feast after feast. All of them designed to slow down, gather together, eat together, and remember.

And what did Jesus do the night before He faced the cross?

He gathered His disciples around the table for what we now call The Last Supper. He broke bread. He poured wine. He looked at the men He loved most and He said: remember me when you do this.

The table has always been a sacred place in the story of God and His people. It is where remembrance happens. It is where community is cemented. It is where Ebenezers get raised around a shared meal.

You have a table. There is power waiting at it. But you have to be the one to set it.

WHAT HEBREWS SAYS ABOUT HOSPITALITY

Hebrews 13:2 ESV
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

We will save the second half of this verse for the Hebrews series when we get to chapter 13 in a few months. But the first half is exactly what we are talking about right now: do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.

Not friends. Not people you already know and love and feel comfortable with. Strangers.

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

This verse is primarily about corporate fellowship, the gathering of believers together, but it also speaks to our individual responsibility. We are called to stir one another to love and good works. Not neglecting meeting together and encouraging one another.

None of that happens in isolation. None of that happens through a screen. It happens around a table. In a living room. Over coffee. In a small group stuffed into a small living room with candles lit and a charcuterie board and people who came because someone extended the invitation.

THE HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT PERFECTIONISM AND HOSPITALITY

Here is what I have had to learn and what I want to say gently and directly to you.

Your house does not have to be perfect for someone to feel welcome in it.

When I first got married, we hosted a Bible study in a little two-bedroom apartment with maybe 300 square feet of living room space. Ten to twelve people stuffed in there with candles lit, a charcuterie board, dessert, drinks, and most importantly, genuine life-giving connection.

Then the kids came. And with the kids came the mess. And with the mess came the pressure that the house had to be spotless before anyone arrived. The fans dusted, the vents cleaned, the dishes put away, the chimney swept.

And here is the gentle rebuke:

If you are waiting for the chimney to be swept before you invite someone over, nobody is coming over.

The one non-negotiable before guests arrive: the bathroom is clean, you can see the floors, and the table is reasonably decluttered. Everything else is just life, and honestly, most people genuinely do not care.

What they care about is good company and good conversation. They desire a space where they feel welcome and not judged and maybe pointed a little more toward Christ by the time they leave.

You are the church. Not just an attender of it. You are the building block of the very institution that God designed to demonstrate His love to a watching world. And if you are hiding behind baseboards and paint splatters and windows that need cleaning, that is not just perfectionism. That is a level of disobedience to what God is calling you to.

Someone is waiting for your invitation. They need what you have at your table, and they are not going to get it if you keep waiting until everything is ready.

A PRACTICAL WORD ON BUILDING THE VILLAGE

The village is not going to come to you. You have to go build it.

And when you go looking for it, here is the shift that makes everything different: go into the relationship thinking about how you can be a blessing to this person rather than what this friendship can do for you. When you walk in with that posture the relationship becomes more beautiful, more sustainable, more real. And it is the kind of friendship that carries across seasons and states and all the transitions that life throws at you.

Keep your eyes open for people in your church who are new, like you were. People who are waiting for someone to extend the invitation they themselves have not figured out how to extend yet. Be the doer. Be the one who sets the table first. Most of the time they have been hoping someone would ask.

Repeat after me. In case I forget . . . someone is waiting for me to gather around a table.

You are a blessing. Let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works. Let us figure out how to outdo one another in love, contribute to the needs of the saints, and seek to show hospitality.

3 THINGS TO WALK AWAY WITH

1. Hospitality is a practice, not a personality trait.
The Holy Spirit empowers you to do what does not come naturally. Ask Him for help and then take the next step. Light the candles. Prepare the food. Send the text. Seek it.

2. Your house does not have to be perfect.
People are not coming for your baseboards. They are coming for good company, good food, and the chance to be seen. Clean the bathroom. Clear the table. Open the door.

3. You are the church.
The way the world sees the church is shaped by the way you love your neighbor, welcome the stranger, and open your home. You are not just an attender. You are a building block. Step into that role boldly and with no reserves.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

  • Romans 12:9-13 ESV — let love be genuine, seek to show hospitality

  • Acts 2:44-47 ESV — the early church breaking bread in their homes with glad and generous hearts

  • Hebrews 13:2 ESV — do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers

  • Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV — stir one another to love and good works, do not neglect meeting together

  • Luke 22:14-20 — Jesus gathering His disciples around the table for the Last Supper

  • Acts 5:1-11 — Ananias and Sapphira and the freedom to choose what to give (referenced in context)

  • Galatians 5:22-23 — the fruit of the Spirit (referenced in context)

RESOURCES MENTIONED

JOIN THE 7 LETTERS CLUB 🌸

Your village is waiting. The 7 Letters Club is a 14-week letter writing community for women who are ready to show up for each other with intention. A small circle of three women. Prompted stationery, a journaling pen, envelopes, stamps, and a surprise, all shipped to your door.

Take the quiz at theologyandtestimony.com to find out what kind of pen pal writer you are. Then join us.

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LET'S KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING

What stuck out to you most from this episode? Drop it in the comments. I would genuinely love to hear what you are feeling and what your thoughts are, and if this episode helped you, share it with one woman who needs a gentle nudge to open her door and set her table.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you are listening. The goal is three reviews by the end of the month. Will you help me get there? 🤍

Have a testimony you want to share on the podcast? Reach out at hello@theologyandtestimony.com and let us connect.

A NOTE ON HOW THESE SHOW NOTES ARE MADE

Every recorded episode is purely the Holy Spirit, studied through Logos Bible Software and brought to you as faithfully as I know how. The show notes are drafted with the help of AI directly from my transcripts, then reviewed and edited to make sure everything reflects me and this community. Full transparency always. 🤍

This is in case i forget, a space I obeyed God to create just for you. Hoping to chat with you next week. Peace. ✌🏽

🌐 theologyandtestimony.com | 📧 hello@theologyandtestimony.com

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