Incarnational Hospitality

We just moved into our new house, and it’s too expensive.

Rent in this part of Southern California is quite a bit higher than it is just 30 minutes East. We could have moved into a much nicer home and had more money left over for some “fun” things (or for savings) had we been OK with driving a half-hour into work/church. That would still be a relatively short commute compared to what many in LA have to endure.

But we wanted to live where our church was. We wanted to continue to develop relationship with folks who are not believers but whose kids go to school with our kids, and let them know that we serve a church just down the street. We wanted to be personally accessible to most of our congregation.

I understand that some pastors, for financial or other logistic reasons, have to live a little distance away from their church. There is nothing wrong with that. What I want to always be aware of, though, is the call to incarnation and hospitality.

Hospitality (a mandatory action for pastor/elders—1 Timothy 3:2) is about hosting and welcoming others. We are certainly required to have a hospitable attitude, but I think there is something important about inviting people into our homes, too. It doesn’t mean that our house has to be Grand Central Station, and yes, boundaries are important, but there needs to be some level of welcome into our lives, and I think that includes an open home sometimes (or often).

Incarnation literally means embodied in the flesh. God was incarnated when Jesus put on the human body. He didn’t commute from heaven, but He lived among us (John 1:14), dealing with all the difficult stuff that first century Jews would have had to deal with. As pastors, I really think we must do all we can to, like Jesus, live incarnational lives—dwelling among the people we serve. Though that doesn’t always mean living in the same neighborhood, we should not live far above (or far below) the average standard of living in our congregation, either.

Finally, this isn’t just a thought for pastors. I think all of us are called to incarnational living and a hospitable spirit. Maybe you are not a pastor and you do drive 20 minutes to get to your church. Some would say you should find a church closer to your neighborhood. While that is an option, an equally valid option is to extend your church into your neighborhood. Imagine a local church that has ministry “outposts” all over a region, manifesting through people’s homes. What if your home was one such outpost? You can be hospitable and incarnational right where you’re at! You would touch people who might never think to walk into any church!

Well, those are just my thoughts. If you have a different perspective, I’d love to hear it. But I have to run now…we’re having a church gathering at our house in a few minutes.

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” (John 1:14 The Message)