The Radical Hospitality of Baptism

Confession 1:  As a self-proclaimed hospitalitarian, I look for (and usually find!), hospitality everywhere and in everything. 

Confession 2: It's about to get really Lutheran up in here...  

In Luther’s explanation of baptism in the Small Catechism he quotes from the book of Titus, chapter 3:  “By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heir according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3: 5-7). Who knew Titus was such a gem!  It clearly does not get the credit it deserves.  Anyway, this explanation of baptism is a beautiful articulation of Lutheran theology- renewal, grace, hope of eternal life.  But in those words, I also see the radical hospitality of God.  Through baptism we are welcomed anew both because of and in spite of who we are, surrounded “with abundance” the presence of the Holy Spirit, and given the hope of eternal life.  God lavishly pours out God’s love and grace- and in that, “we are marked with the cross of Christ forever”.  And for those of us who have ever had a guest over stay their welcome, we understand what how radically hospitable a “forever” invitation is!  But it doesn't stop there.  In the act of baptism, we as the community in Christ, following God’s example, offer hospitality to the newly baptized.  We stand and welcome them into the Body of Christ and recognize them as a fellow worker in the kingdom of God.  Not guest, but fellow member equal in love, grace and gift.  And then we slide over and make room for one more person at the table.

Hos-pi-tal-i-tar-i-an

After my initial post, I received a few questions about the title.  So let me back up a few steps.  The term is Hospitalitarian (Hos-pi-tal-i-tar-i-an).  It is a term somewhat commonly used in the restaurant and hospitality industries.  In fact, I first heard it used by my supervisor to describe all of us who work on staff at my catering company.  At first I thought the title was sort of ridiculous- we are service staff pouring drinks, setting tables, and bussing dirty dishes- stop trying to make it sound glamorous.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true.  We aren’t just serving food, we are creating an experience.  If you have ever planned and hosted a party, you understand.  The placement of bar, the type of food, the way it is served, the music, the décor- all of it is planned to set a specific mood, to help the guest have the experience we are intending them to have. 

Often when talking about the importance of Christian hospitality, we quote from Hebrews:  “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angles without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).    But what does that actually mean?  What does “showing hospitality” actually look like?  I did a quick Google search of “hospitality” and I stumbled upon a blog from a top restaurateur who distinguished the difference between service and hospitality in the restaurant business:   “Customer service entails getting the right food to the right person at the right time. Hospitality is the degree to which your customers feel that your staff is on their side” (Danny Meyer, read entire blog here). 

What a different experience that could create it we moved that concept beyond the restaurant.  How different would our conversations be if we entered them intentionally on the side of the other person?  How different would our churches look if we didn’t just give the courteous welcome to visitors, but were intentionally invested in their experience?  I think that is what hospitality is really about- not only creating an experience, but being intentionally invested in the people involved; treating each other as if we actually were angels…

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