1 Peter 4:9 Contemporary English Version
9 Welcome people into your home and don't grumble about it.
Oliver and Geraldine Lien were the foundation of the Adventist church in Iowa City. Oliver was head elder, and Genevieve was the church treasurer. While we were there, I was elected an elder in the church. She told me that one of the duties of an elder in a small church was to be hospitable to strangers who came into town and called the church seeking hospitality—usually a bed for the night but sometimes just a meal.
One time he passed a call on to me from an older couple who were Adventist missionaries in a far eastern country. They were on furlough and just passing through. They were full of the grace of God and stories of their experiences. They had served there for many years and were quite mystified by modern American life. They drove an old car that looked like it had more than the usual number of miles on it. I didn’t learn how they got the car, or who owned it. They were headed east to visit family and friends and planned to be there for several months.
Having recently returned from five years of mission work in Tanzania, we understood a lot of their feelings and empathized with them fully. We encouraged them to stop by on their way west. They did, indeed, stop by on their way west several months later. They were headed back to their mission field and another three years or more of service. They exuded a glow of the joy of the Lord which they shared liberally with us.
All visitors were not of the same caliber as these. One such stole a sizable sum of cash from my brother, who was also visiting us. He had spoken glowingly of attending his Adventist church back in Texas and sharing in their Sunday church potlucks. That should have warned me that he might be dangerous. Christ spoke of having naïve followers, and I have been made aware that I have fallen into that classification on more than one occasion.
We still rejoice in that special visit from our missionary friends. We value the experience immensely and wouldn’t trade it for anything. In our current situation in a California metropolis, we sense only too well the problems the unhoused bring to our community. What would Christ have done and how would He have lived if He had come to America in the 21st century?
Lord, thank You for encouraging us to show hospitality even though it backfires on occasion.
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