The Hospitality of a Simple Table

Somewhere along the way, hospitality became entertaining — a performance of perfect homes and elaborate meals that leaves most of us too intimidated to invite anyone in. But the hospitality of Scripture is far simpler, and far warmer. It is soup and bread. It is an extra chair. It is "come as you are, because we will too."

The table as ministry

Some of the most important moments in the Gospels happened at tables. Around food, people let their guards down. Stories come out. Loneliness loosens. When you feed someone, you are doing holy work — no sermon required.

Keep it simple enough to repeat

A pot of something warm, a simple dessert, tea afterward. The goal is not to impress but to gather. If the house is lived-in and the meal is simple, all the better — people relax where perfection is not required.

Open your door this month to someone. It does not need to be an occasion. It only needs to be an invitation.

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." — 1 Peter 4:9

Stay Rooted,

Heather

LPC, CHC — Founder, Rooted Wellness & Co.