Verse
Leviticus 19:33–34 (ESV)
33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Luke 14:12–14 (ESV)
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Romans 12:13 (ESV)
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
1 Peter 4:9 (ESV)
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Quotes
“The problem is, however, that when we aim for everything, we hit nothing. So when we insist we’re neighbors with everybody, often we end up being neighbors with nobody.”
Jay Pathak, The Art of Neighboring
“There is a wondrous open-mindedness about children and an insatiable desire to learn from life. An open attitude is like an open door—a welcoming disposition toward the fellow travelers who knock on our door during the middle of a day, the middle of the week, or the middle of a lifetime. Some are dirtballs, grungy, disheveled, and bedraggled. The sophisticated adult within me shudders and is reluctant to offer them hospitality. They may be carrying precious gifts under their shabby rags, but I still prefer clean-shaven Christians who are neatly attired, properly pedigreed, and who affirm my vision, echo my thoughts, stroke me, and make me feel good. Yet my inner child protests, “I want new friends, not old mirrors.”
Brennan Manning
General Questions
You might want to ask each other some of the following questions:
- Where have you seen God at work in your life in the past week/month?
- How did you experience God’s presence through your rhythms?
- How have you been shaped by the rhythms?
- What differences did the rhythms make to those around you?
- What is the Spirit stirring and wanting to grow in you in this season?
- What unhealthy rhythms or habits have you adopted and what practices will help you refocus on Jesus?
Specific Questions
- What is one thing you like about the Rhythm of Hospitality and why?
- What has been an obstacle to Hospitality in your life?
- How can Hospitality you in becoming like Jesus?
- What is one thing you learned about Hospitality this week?
- After the Hospitality Rhythm podcast, what was new to you or what changed your view?
- How do you think practicing Hospitality will help you follow Jesus?
Practice
- What is a small way this week you can incorporate this rhythm in your life?
- What way can the group help you practice this rhythm?