Connecting Point: Who is the Stranger

From an early age most of us have been taught to be aware of “stranger danger.” Much of this is due to safety, especially with the rise of sex trafficking. As parents we have discussed with our children extensively awareness and how to spot “stranger danger.” Although many of us share this concern, we should keep in mind a proper balance. It is a balance between caution and being overly afraid.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed striking up the conversation of hospitality with my church family. The responses have been challenging and eye opening. Hebrews 13:2 reminds us: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Let’s probe this further.

Hospitality according to the Bible is far more than entertaining friends and family. In essence we are to have love for strangers. All of this is based on being a generous person who utilizes all the resources God has given us to bless others.

Would you show hospitality to a stranger if you knew they were an angel? I believe most would, but for the wrong motivation. An angel encounter would be something to talk about. One might even feel special. Maybe you could sign a large book deal. What if that stranger was just a poor person in need? These encounters often cause us to question who this stranger is, or why they are seeking help.

Pastor Timothy Keller describes three facets to hospitality: one, welcome people into your living space and refresh them with the resources with which you ordinarily refresh yourself; two, hospitality is treating strangers as family; and three, practice hospitality as to let God make strangers your friends.

One might ask, then who is the stranger? Remarkably, there are many. We might think that strangers exist in large cities because of their size, but that is not necessarily true. Strangers abound in all of our lives, even in small communities such as ours. Over the years in pastoral ministry I have suggested that there are strangers in our pews. Often times people know little about each other in small settings. The stranger could be another Christian or a neighbor.

Jesus often challenged those around him to love the poor. The religious elite were advantaged by a system of patronage, where favors were shared by only those you knew. In effect, Jesus was turning that mentality upside down. If we truly wish to be biblical, then we can choose to be radically generous with any person around, there is no need for that stranger to have “wings.”