Sanctuary (Easter - Day 21)

(Based on 3 John 1-15)

When I first got sober, there were two families who took me into their homes. My two friends - Loren and Bryan - both welcomed me as family and gave me a bed to sleep in. I was living in an apartment at the time, and I didn't trust myself to live without someone holding me accountable. Alcohol and marijuana were too tempting and too available, and I didn't have enough willpower in the world to stop from getting what I wanted. The steps we took were pretty dramatic, but I was willing to go to any length to stay sober. I handed over the keys to my car, my wallet, and my schedule to these friends in the hopes of my mind getting clear enough to where I could get my life straight. During this time, I attended A.A. meetings and started working on the steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. At first, the fear of not being in control overwhelmed me. I felt cut off from the world, and it scared me. However, as time went by, I got on my own two feet again. I learned to slow down and to say no. I learned what it looked like to welcome someone into my own home as family. 

About a year and a half later, I moved into another family's home. This time, it was because I wanted to go back to school, but the only way I could pay for it was if I didn't have a rent to pay. Lacy and Lucas and their two girls gave me a room and treated me as their brother. I lived there for over a year, and because of their hospitality, I was able to pay cash and finish my associate's degree without taking any student loans. They held no expectations over my head. Whatever was theirs was mine as well. I was free to come and go, do as I wished, and they loved me just as I was and not as they wanted me to be. Anytime I was struggling with something, they would create time to talk and listen and love me through it. 

Because of the hospitality my friends have shown me, I in turn have learned what it looks like to be hospitable to others - to provide a room and a safe place. 

In third John, the author writes a letter to his friend, commemorating the work he's doing in the area of hospitality. He's been providing a bed and meals for travelers who are passing through the town he lives in. The author says that when he provides hospitality, "he's making the faith visible." He says that showing hospitality presents God in a visible way to the travelers. 

In contrast, the author speaks of another man who is living in the same city. He likes to "be in charge of everything," and refuses to let travelers stay in his home. He even talks to his neighbors and tries to convince them not to let people into their homes, and goes to the lengths of kicking people out. 

In the comparison between the two guys, the author describes one as evil and one as good. Offering hospitality represents this ushering in of goodness. On the other hand, the author describes this other man's refusal of hospitality as evil. 

Christianity around the time of the author was very nomadic. Because of harsh persecution under the Roman Empire, Christians had to move around in discreet groups and do the best they could to find shelter during their travels. Since they represented opposition to the dominant system of government and spread a message of freedom and salvation apart from Caesar, these were marked men and women. Refusing to provide room and board on their travels meant refusing them safety from a harsh, oppressive, and evil government that had its mark out for anyone refusing to bow down. 

In context, showing hospitality meant providing shelter to refugees, to marked men and women with bounties on their heads. In our day, obviously, the government in America does not have a bounty out for the heads of Christians. In other countries however, this is not the case. According to www.listverse.com, the top ten most dangerous countries for Christians are: Laos, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Yemen, Maldives, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. In most of these territories, Christian churches are forbidden as well as any form of literature. 

In the context of the scriptures, hospitality is against the law. So, offering up room and board is actually going against the unjust system of the Roman empire. Since America has no laws against Christianity, hospitality in that context does not fit today. However, the principle behind hospitality remains the same.

When we offer up hospitality to strangers and friends, we are making the faith visible. But, if we were to take the context of the passage and fast forward it to today, who would the "illegal Christians" be? In my opinion, they would be foreigners who have immigrated to the U.S. Offering hospitality to Christians in the time of the author's writing would be like offering hospital to "illegal immigrants" today. We would be offering shelter to someone traveling through, providing a safe place for someone who is outlawed by the empire. More importantly, we would be showing them that we do not adhere to the unjust laws of the prevailing system and our faith would be visible to those who are trying to make it in the midst of an oppressive, hostile system. 

Whether our hospitality is offered to Christians, strangers, atheists, undocumented foreigners, or hurting family members, it represents a very good thing. Opening up our homes to people makes our faith visible and instills pockets of inclusive community in a world that is very much exclusive. I love the idea of couchsurf. com and other organizations that have expanded on the idea of hospitality and are making breakthrough accomplishments in this realm of love and service. 

What I don't think the author is saying is that we go out and look for people to bring into our homes. I think he is simply saying that when the opportunity comes, we are to welcome them into our homes. We are to welcome them into our families and lives. In this way, we offer up sanctuary to people who would otherwise have none. Whether it be the tortured soul or the literal homeless, we have much to offer in the way of a bed and a shower. We have the opportunity to present God in a way that is practical and tangible, full of interaction, and very counter to the exclusive American Way. 

Today's Action: Make a decision to open up our hearts and our homes to someone who is looking for a safe place to stay. Ask God for the opportunity and see what happens.