Week: Hospitality - having open hearts and open homes
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Loving God, You make Your home in our hearts. We are excited to explore more of what it means to open our hearts to the world.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Asaph
Matthew 25:35
Jesus said, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.’
Matthew 25:35 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we are REFLECTING on the first letter that Peter, Jesus’ disciple, wrote, in which he encouraged the Christians to love each other well.
Read by Asaph
1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:8-10 (NIVUK)
When we hear the word ‘hospitality’, most of us think about things like making a meal for someone, or having someone come and stay in our homes. But in today’s passage, the word hospitality comes from the Greek word ‘xenophilia’, which means loving and welcoming people who are different from us.
We don’t have to wait until we’ve learned how to cook or until we own a home to practise hospitality, we just have to have open hearts to love people, to be friends with people who might feel unwelcome or unseen in the world.
Having said that, feeding people is also a great way to practise hospitality. So let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we could have anyone come over to our home for dinner – a real person or even a fictional character – who would we invite, and why?
Let’s take a moment to think about someone we know or see most days, who might feel unwelcome or unseen by others.
Loving Jesus, we ASK You to open our eyes to recognise who might feel unwelcome – those who need to experience hospitality. Give us the courage to open our hearts to build new friendships.
All around the world people are leaving their homes and their communities because of wars and natural disasters. And many of them are travelling to other countries where they feel like strangers.
Father God, we ASK You to be their protection. Keep families safe who haven’t found a home yet.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to give us, Your church, the courage to open our hearts and our homes to those in need.
And Holy Spirit, we ASK You to stop the wars and calm the storms in our world. Guide those in leadership around the world – help them to make decisions that will protect and bring peace to those who are the most vulnerable.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:8-10 (NIVUK)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You call us Your friends… and You call us to be friends with others, especially those who other people think are unimportant. Help us to love them like You love them.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 25:35
Jesus said, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.’
Matthew 25:35 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Asaph is 9 years old. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his younger sister Adelina, father and mother. He enjoys riding his bike, camping, reading, playing flag football and watching Bible Project videos. Asaph is kind and smart and loves hanging out with friends!
