KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR
There was a long season in our lives when our home was a gathering place. We regularly hosted large groups of people for food and fellowship, endeavoring to heed the call of 1 Peter 4:9 to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling” by making our home a welcoming place.
Now we’re in a different season—one where it’s challenging to host people in our home. Yet I know the call to be hospitable remains. So how can I welcome others in this new season of life?
Hospitality Beyond the Dinner Table
Romans 12:10–13 reminds us:
“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.”
The word translated “hospitality” here (and throughout the New Testament) comes from a Greek word meaning “love of strangers.” True hospitality goes beyond setting a table or serving a meal. At its heart, it’s about making space for others—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s about seeing people as image-bearers rather than inconveniences or interruptions and welcoming them.
And one of the simplest, yet most profound, ways to welcome someone—to practice hospitality—is to learn their name….
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