"Mango Rain" Hospitality

<p>When we lived in Guinea, West Africa, we witnessed the beauty of hospitality. There’s even a proverb that states: "An unexpected visitor is like an unexpected rain."</p><p>.</p><p>We lived through two seasons each year: six months of rainy season, and six months of dry season. We always loved the “mango rains”—the rare, unexpected downpours that came out of nowhere during dry season. Children could be seen running through the rain, fully dressed, laughing with delight.</p><p>.</p><p>Hospitality comes more naturally to some of us than it does to others. When you hear a knock on your door, but you’re not expecting anyone, how do you respond? Does it make you excited, or do you find yourself thinking something like: “Who could that be at this hour?” “Did anyone call to say they were coming?” “Everyone hide and be quiet—maybe they will go away!”</p><p>.</p><p>In the Bible, God repeatedly calls His people to practice hospitality. Thankfully, He also gives us the ability to do so through the Holy Spirit. So, how can we practice hospitality? The Greek word translated “hospitality” in the Bible is "philoxenia," which basically means “loving strangers” because Philo=Love and Xenia=Stranger. Not at all like "xenophobia," which means fear of strangers or outsiders!</p><p>.</p><p>In Matthew 25, Jesus says that when He returns bodily to earth, He will commend His people for inviting Him in when He was a stranger. But when they ask, “Lord... When did we see you a stranger and invite you in...?” (verse 37-38), He will answer, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (verse 40). So, when we welcome strangers (or outsiders), we show our love for Jesus!</p><p>.</p><p>As Christians, we can show hospitality to others because God has shown the greatest hospitality to us. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, God has welcomed us into His family! Though we used to be outsiders and strangers, we are now “fellow citizens with God’s people” (Ephesians 2:19). From