Part XI of our series on Opening Your Home

Every act of opening our homes is more than a response to human need. Even more, what it is is a foretaste or partial revelation of the divine hospitality that eventually all creation will experience in full. I love what Guice writes. He says:

The early church as well regularly practiced the Eucharist, the good gift, and recognized it as a sign of God’s hospitality. Each time the Eucharist was taken, the costliness of the divine gift was remembered (Alexander and Rosner 2000).

They also saw it as a foreshadowing of how hospitable God will be in the future when all the believers join him in the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-9). This regular gathering around God’s table served to inspire them towards the future and remind them of the Jubilee that was part of their past and present. Jesus while present reminded them, “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” (Luke 14:13 NRSV) (Russell, Clarkson, and Ott 2009)

The visions of John end with a simple call that is a model for what the church is to be when he writes, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” (Revelation 22:17 NRSV).[1]

We have a sign right next to the front door of our home that says, “Mi casa es su casa”—my home is your home. But maybe we ought to change that sign to read, “Even so, come Lord Jesus—come!”

And each time we open our door, we ought to think to ourselves and perhaps even say out loud, “Even so, come Lord Jesus—come!”

[1] William Guice, “Hospitality, Part 2,” What if…, August 18, 2010