Walter Troyan, a teenage sailor aboard the USS Denver in December, 1944, thanked God he and his fellow sailors had come out alive after enduring 140 mph winds from Typhoon Cobra. His heart lightened, however, when his ship returned to Manus Island in New Guinea for replenishments, including a Christmas Day celebration. Sitting down at his table with a tray full of food, he asked his buddies, “Did you fellows see our Christmas tree?”

I passionately believe hospitality shows the face of God to the world. He is a God of welcome and inclusion and invitation and continual discourse and a never-ending longing for connection. Without a diligent practice of hospitality, in our homes and in our churches and in the workplace, this world cannot ascertain what He is really like.