Hospitality

On Sunday, November 6, 2016, at Grace Church-Glendora, Pastor John Dix's message was on Hospitality, a series he's calling "Sharing Tables." The text was Matthew 26:26-35. Pastor John pointed out that "when Jesus wanted to explain the Gospel story, He didn't give us a lecture; He invited us to a meal."

As I listened to Pastor John's message, I was reminded of my Mom. She loved to entertain and was a great hostess. She believed in hospitality and practiced it regularly. It was something she grew up with because her parents, Severino and Perpetua Alcala, always invited pastors and Christian workers to their house to enjoy a meal with what I'm sure was a boisterous Alcala clan. It was my Mom who taught me the importance of setting a nice table -- everything in the right place and lined up properly -- and planning a proper menu. From a young age, wherever we lived, no matter how large or small our home was at the time, my Mom would always entertain our friends,  the missionaries, fellow pastors and Christian workers who were passing through.

When I was older, even before I was married and had children, I loved to entertain. In college, I used to house sit during Christmas breaks and before my housesitting stint was to end, I would have a dinner party for my friends. (It was during one of these dinner parties that two of my dearest friends discovered they kinda "liked" each other...) Later, after I had graduated from college and was living in an apartment in Whittier, CA, with 3 other girls, we would als0 have dinner parties for our friends.

When my kids were still young, I loved to invite whoever was our current pastor and his family, as well as anyone else who didn't have a place to go for Thanksgiving, to join us for turkey and all the "fixins."  Our home in Pasadena was small, but that didn't seem to matter. What was important was that we all enjoyed the fellowship and breaking bread together.

When we lived in Cebu for 4+ years, Dan and I would entertain often -- the church families for lunch, the young people for dinner and parlor games afterwards, the teachers at TEKNON for a Christmas party or to celebrate their birthdays. I enjoyed putting together a Christmas open house for the church and family friends and, in early January, I would invite these same church folks and friends to our home to celebrate my Mom's life on the anniversary of her homegoing.

Since returning to the States in 2012, Dan and I have not had our own place, so entertaining has not been possible. But, I'm looking forward to being in Palawan next year so we can do some entertaining again. It will be a great opportunity to get to know people in a more intimate setting and to enjoy some good food in the process!

I strongly believe that hospitality is very important! I believe that we entertain "angels unawares" during these types of occasions. I know the Lord Himself entertained -- think of the Last Supper -- and He passed on many truths to His disciples during those cozy dinners. Hospitality is a spiritual gift and one that everyone can have. In the hustle and bustle of today's world, I'm finding out that we need take time to show hospitality to others, fulfilling the law of love that Jesus desires for us.