Unsung Heroes: Hospitality of Lydia — Monday
Acts 16:14-15a
One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. (NLT)
I was thrilled when I got assigned to write the devos for this week, because they are all about the story of Lydia and the principle of hospitality. I happen to be named after the Lydia of the Bible (coincidence that they gave me this week to write about? I think not…), and I also happen to really love hospitality. This is going to be fun! But as excited as I am to spend the next few days with you, there’s one thing about this story and about hospitality that I want to make sure that we get straight, right off the bat.
Here it is: Hospitality is the stuff of the gospel. Sometimes when we hear the word “hospitality,” we think about making dinner for friends and family, or making sure that the guest room is clean and the bed is made, or being the holiday party planner. You might even think of the hospitality “industry” with hotels or AirBnBs, or event coordinators, or catering companies. All of those things may include elements of hospitality, but none of them are the bedrock of the concept as a whole. So what is?
Plain and simple, it’s the fact that hospitality was set into motion by God. It’s the idea of outsiders becoming insiders—and God is the one who came up with that! It began in the Old Testament with the people of Israel when God called them into a covenant relationship to be His people. But the ultimate act of hospitality was Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, when He died for sinners so that anyone who believed in Him would become a part of God’s family. We were all once outsiders, and now we are all invited to become insiders. That’s the stuff of hospitality. That’s the stuff of the gospel.
We get to reflect that to others through the way we invite them to belong in our lives and our homes, but more importantly, to belong as a part of God’s family. In the scripture above, we see both happening. Lydia is a recipient of God’s hospitality when she believes and is baptized, becoming a part of God’s family. She reflects that back immediately by inviting Paul and his companions to be guests in her home. Hospitality is the stuff of the gospel.
Monday’s Reflection
Read Acts 16 (it’s full of stories!). Where do you notice hospitality happening?
