Without grumbling

Have you ever been in a hospital? Well, you might say, “I think I was born in a hospital, but I don’t remember that.”

Or maybe you remember being in a hospital because you spent some time there when you were sick or had to get some treatment for a broken bone or something similar.

Though the word “hospital” is not found in the Bible, a related word, “hospitality,” is found in a number of places. For example, Romans 12:13 tells us to “practice hospitality,” and in 1 Peter 4:9 it says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

I have a big fat dictionary that tells me that hospitality is the “reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers, with liberality and good will.” So, if you are hospitable, that means you provide a friendly welcome to people and treat them generously.

When we think of Christian virtues, we probably think of things like honesty, faithfulness, fairness, kindness and the like. Hospitality isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But a few months ago, I ended up in the hospital after having a serious car accident, and I can tell you that I was treated with a lot of hospitality. The nurses in the hospital were wonderful. The day after I was admitted to the hospital was my birthday, and they made a party hat for me and posted a huge card at the foot of my bed that said, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB. I experienced a lot of hospitality in that hospital!

God’s eager kindness

I find the 1 Peter 4:9 verse that I quoted above particularly interesting. Again, it says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” It’s as if Peter is aware that sometimes it’s a bit of a pain to be hospitable. Imagine this: you are about to sit down for supper and the doorbell rings. It’s that pesky neighbour who seems to show up at the most inconvenient times. “Oh, come on in,” you say (a bit half-heartedly). “Won’t you join us for supper?”

“I don’t mind if I do, thank you,” replies the neighbour and you grumble under your breath, “Rats, I wish she wasn’t so eager to agree.”

It’s a good thing God isn’t like that. When we come to God in prayer with our petitions and complaints (and even our praise), God never grumbles, “Oh boy, here’s Bob again. Doesn’t he know that I’m busy trying to take care of a very difficult world? I wish he’d pick a more convenient time to chat.” No, God is like a loving mother who stops what she’s doing when her child bursts into the house with excitement to show her the shiny rock she just found. Or, to comfort her son when he’s fallen off his bike and bruised his knee. God’s hospitality knows no bounds. God is always ready to treat us with kindness and love. In fact, God’s liberality and goodwill extended so far as to offer up his beloved son to die in our place.