Generous Hospitality Offered Without Expectations
Generosity and Hospitality
Reflection By Scott Stoner
Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
This quote from Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian, could be paraphrasing Jesus’ words. Jesus did not extend hospitality to others in order to change them. He offered hospitality and love to all because that was his nature.
The love and hospitality that Jesus offered to people did, in fact, create space for them to change. He conversed with the Samaritan woman—something unheard of in his time—creating space for her whole life to change. He welcomed lepers and offered healing to change their lives, not just physically but spiritually.
Transactional hospitality is when we extend kindness and compassion to others and expect something back. This is not what Jesus calls us to practice. His call is to hospitality that is freely given to all with no expectations. This kind of hospitality can be transformational—for others and for ourselves.
When we offer hospitality without expectations, we create safe space for authentic encounter. People sense when our welcome comes with conditions or hidden agendas. True hospitality trusts that welcoming another person is valuable in itself. Offering unconditional hospitality is counter-cultural in a world that teaches us to calculate the cost and benefit of every interaction.
Making it Personal: What is the difference between hospitality that is transactional versus freely given and transformational? Today, offer hospitality (listening, presence, or help) to someone without expecting anything in return.