The Baptist Digest

The Host, The House And The Hosted

October 2006

He brought me to his banqueting table; his banner over me is love. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Practice hospitality.
These biblical ideas and images conjure up the 12th and last image of disciples and discipleship I will address. For the rest visit: http://baptistdigest.com/archive/column/.

The Host

I come from that part of the world where many visitors or guests experience unusual hospitality, I am often told. This tradition of hospitality goes back a long time. It goes back to creation and even before. In creation God acts as host to humanity, his guest, who is welcomed into paradise. But even before this hospitality was fleshed out on earth, it enjoyed an eternity in heaven in the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The attribute of generosity and identity of God as love are at the heart of hospitality. Our host creator made his generosity and love visible to us in created goodness, in Jesus Christ the redeemer, and in the Holy Spirit the giver of grace. And God also hosts the hosts of heaven.

The House

God moves a lot, his address changes. God lives everywhere. Theologians speak of God being omnipresent (Omni is Latin for everywhere). Here are a few of the places God is present and where we are his guests. According to Psalm 139 there is no where we can be without his presence. God is also present where people intentionally gather to worship him as his guests: like the Tabernacle and Temple of early Jewish history (See 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 11:4; 84:1-10; Isaiah 56:7; Luke 2:49; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48, 21:1-4). Some of the New Testament references given above allude to the absence of God from the Temple rather than his presence where he desires to be with his people. When Jesus became angry in the Temple he had every reason to be. His people misused and treated as a den of thieves the house of prayer, prayer being where God inhabits the hearts of his people. Religious people took God’s presence in the holy place for granted and became stumbling blocks for the Gentiles to experience the presence of God in worship. Jesus did not get angry very often. When he does, we had better pay attention. At his house there is equality of generosity and love. No one may be exempt. Hospitality in God’s house is valued highly by God.

The Hosted (Guests)

Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? This movie title may date me a bit. But it is a good illustration of who gets to enjoy the hospitality of the dinner banquet: Black and white and people from every race, tribe and nation. At the table hosted by Jesus there is the bread of suffering and the wine of sacrifice; there is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. The good and the bad are welcomed here with no discrimination from the host (Matthew 22:1-14).  It is these guests who have drank deeply from the flowing wounds of Christ who become living stones and the new Temple of God. We are both stones in the temple and guests at the temple. This double participation is a wonderful image of the church gathered at the banquet hall of Jesus. We show up, dressed in Christ (our corner stone) and made fit to be in the presence of the king (God our host). As guests we are mostly to enjoy the benefits of being called to the banquet. As guests, all the responsibilities of hosting belong to the host. We simply enjoy the invitation. It’s like coming to a wedding. You dress up, you come, and you celebrate in gratitude for being invited.

With the other images of discipleship I have addressed in previous articles, there is a responsibility for us to perform. If apprentice, we are to learn the trade, if friend, we are to practice friendship, etc… But with this image, it is sheer privilege.

Are we learning to come gratefully to each and every moment in daily life as guests of Our Gracious Host? As we continue to learn to do this and become Christian in daily life, our walk with the master becomes a banqueting table where his banner over us is love of God and love of others.  Who knows, perhaps like Abraham and his three special guests, we may entertain angels without knowing it (Genesis 18:1-22 and Hebrews 13:1-2).

Send this Column to a Friend

Your Email:

Your Name:

To:

Subject:

Message:
I thought you might like this column I read at baptistdigest.com. "The Host, The House And The Hosted" He brought me to his banqueting table; his banner over me is love. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Practice hospitality. These biblical ideas and images conjure up the 12th and last image of disciples and discipleship I will address. For the rest visit: http://baptistdigest.com/archive/column/. The Host I come from that part of the world where many visitors or guests experience unusual hospitality, I am often told. This tradition of hospitality goes back a long time. It goes back to creation and even before. In creation God acts as host to humanity, his guest, who is welcomed into paradise. But even before this hospitality was fleshed out on earth, it enjoyed an eternity in heaven in the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The attribute of generosity and identity of God as love are at the heart of hospitality. Our host creator made his generosity and love visible to us in created goodness, in Jesus Christ the redeemer, and in the Holy Spirit the giver of grace. And God also hosts the hosts of heaven. You can read the rest here: http://www.baptistdigest.com/archive/column/the_host_the_house_and_the_hosted/