My great uncle’s memorial service featured a meal of roast beef, corn, and beans to honor the hospitality that he and his wife lived out for many years. Each Sunday morning, they would put a large roast and veggies in the crock pot before going to church. After the service, they would look for someone to invite for lunch. Sometimes it was a good friend, sometimes a stranger. Either way, they made sure there was plenty of food at home and those afternoons were especially set aside for hospitality.
Their Sunday habit required an intentional readiness for generosity. The Israelites followed a similar pattern. Through Moses, God commanded them to leave a portion of their food “for the poor and the foreigner” (Leviticus 19:10). During harvest time, they were instructed not to reap to the edges of their field, not pick up what had fallen, and not harvest from a particular area more than once (vv. 9-10). With this redeeming method, those who did not own land could still work to gather food. For the people of God, this wasn’t a one-time, spontaneous act—although that can be a beautiful blessing, too. It was how they lived year after year.
There are opportunities all around us to show Jesus’ hospitable love. Some we can’t prepare for; some we can. As God helps us, let’s consider how we can treat others kindly today (v. 33).
