Notes
A Note From Megan Lemmons
Radical Hospitality
A few years ago, Ausdin and I traveled to Turkey to visit his family. My mother-in-law had told me ahead of time to expect the family to be really hospitable. We were planning to stay for a few weeks, and she even said, “Don’t make many plans, they’ll have it all figured out.”
Not used to that level of hospitality, I said “okay,” but I’ll be honest… still had a few backup plans and hotel options saved online, just in case.
When we arrived, though, I experienced what I can only describe as truly radical hospitality. Family members we had never met welcomed us into their homes, served some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten, and showed us beautiful parts of the country. The food was amazing, and the sights were incredible, but the most impactful part was the feeling of love, welcome, and belonging.
Far from home, in a foreign country where we didn’t speak the language and couldn’t always communicate easily, our family created an environment where we could simply come as we were and be loved and cared for.
That’s what hospitality is.
Adele Calhoun writes, “Hospitality is not about impressing others with well-decorated homes and gourmet cooking. It’s not simply for the gifted or those with clean homes. Neither is it just for women. Hospitality is a way of loving our neighbor in the same way God has loved us.”
Jesus said in Mark 12:30–31:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. … Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Hospitality is one way we live out the command to love our neighbors. It’s an extension of the love, welcome, and belonging we ourselves have found in Christ. As the Church, we get to turn and offer that same love to others.
In a world that often pits people against each other, we can be a different kind of community, we can create a different kind of space, a space of love, welcome, and belonging.
Sometimes that looks like inviting someone into your home. Other times, it’s simply welcoming someone into conversation. Big or small, when we choose to genuinely love our neighbors and offer a sense of welcome, regardless of what someone is coming with, that’s radical hospitality.