Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that, some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2
I read an article a few months ago by a pastor I had the opportunity to sit with on a retreat while I was in Seminary. In this article, the pastor in question said that when we say that we are all children of God and thus worthy of God’s love, we are mistaken because until a person makes a profession of faith or “accepts” Jesus into their hearts, they aren’t truly a child of God. So, using this pastor’s rationale, a person would need to go up to someone and ask them if they have a relationship with Jesus Christ before they are willing to love them and welcome them as a child of God.
I’m sorry, but I believe that’s wrong. The writer of Hebrews tells us plainly that we are not to neglect sharing acts of mercy and kindness because if we do, we may miss out on an opportunity to interact with angels. Plainer still is the directive from Christ that we find in John’s gospel. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 NRSVUE) This can prove difficult for us, though. Loving as Jesus loves means going to the margins where the people Jesus ministered to are found. Loving as Jesus loves means being in a relationship with folks you may have been told aren’t actually a child of God.
The season of Lent allows us to repent of the notion that a particular person is more worthy of God’s love than another. Lent invites us to remember the graceful hospitality that Jesus shared with us and invites us to share that same graceful hospitality with others. We are all children of God. Go and live, go and love, confident in that perfect truth.
Rev. Clay Parker serves as the pastor of Princeton UMC in Princeton, NC, and as a chaplain with The UM Collective of the NC Conference.
Our theme for this year’s Lenten reflections is Graceful Hospitality. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Ten Dollar Club, now known as the New Room Society. We give thanks for our Conference’s ongoing commitment to co-creating new places for new people to gather in communion with Jesus Christ and extending graceful hospitality to all of God’s children.