The Theology of Hospitality

During my recent visit to Paris, we stayed at the beautiful and intimate hotel Le Relais Saint Germain.  It was hard to tell how many rooms the hotel had; from what I could see, I would think maybe 6 rooms altogether, if that many.  But I could be wrong.  Part of the hotel is one of the best restaurants in Paris, one where it is so difficult to get a reservation that people sometimes book a room in the hotel just to get a reservation at the restaurant. 

Breakfast in the morning is a signature event, served in the room with real silver coffeepots and teapots.  It is not a meal to be rushed through, but everything about it speaks of savoring and enjoying the experience -- real silverware, freshly laundered napkins, fresh fruit, croissants, French bread, eggs, ham, cream cheese, yogurt, butter, oatmeal, miniature jars of jams and preserves --- I cannot even remember all that was on the tray.

In the lobby was an umbrella stand with old-fashioned black umbrellas -- the kind with curved handles--- for the use of the guests.  Though we had no rain while I was there, I took one with me each day as a walking stick, to help me up the many metro stairs on our excursions. 

This small hotel had the gift of making each guest feel like a welcome part of the family.  In each room was a small book -- a gift from the owners-- which included their favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The introduction to the booklet set out their philosophy of entertaining, a philosophy which for me became theology:

Entertaining is the word that sums up the magic of my job.  I just love to receive people at home.  They always ask me questions about my vocation.  The answer?  Maybe I became a cook because my passion is to give, receive, give back.  ....Feeding people is not enough for us.  We wanted to also give them a place to sleep with sweet dreams before a good breakfast.  We are proud when our customers say that their experience was good or it was beautiful. But never more so than when they remember that they were well received. 

 

If you ask me the word that best expresses my passion, I think that the most beautiful verb is "receive."  I play with conjugating this verb in many ways:  "I received, I get, I will receive" --- and "is received, is receiving."  That which receives, receives....

 

Entertaining is inviting in friends and in greeting customers.  And when I say the word that touches me and makes me dream, I sometimes hear "re/se/see."  Entertaining is the art of receiving.

                                                                         ---Claudine and Yves Camdeborde

                                                                          Hotel Le Relais Saint-Germain

 

Everything about this small hotel matches the expressed philosophy/theology of its owners.  And their expressed philosophy so well matches Biblical theology.  In the Book of Ephesians, Paul tells us that before we could think to do anything, we received everything from the beneficence of the Creator:  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

 

We were received by God as his sons even before we opened our eyes for the first time  --- and because of his pleasure and good will, we received from Him countless blessings and grace.  Because of what we have received from Him, graciously and without merit on our part, we are told in Chapter 4 of Ephesians to receive one another with the same graciousness we ourselves have experienced.  Paul lays out in detail what it means to be gracious towards others.

 

Watchman Nee has written a little book called Sit, Walk, and Stand, which outlines the Book of Ephesians in terms of the normal Christian life --- first, we "sit;" that is, we receive from God.  Then, we "walk" according to the multiple grace we have received from him, and finally, when we have done all we can do, we "stand," putting on the armor of God, against the powers of evil and darkness.  Though I read this book over 40 years ago, I still remember being profoundly moved and enlightened by Watchman Nee, who spent the last 25 years of his life in a Communist China prison for preaching the Gospel.  If anyone is worthy of being listened to, it is certainly Watchman Nee -- and those like Claudine and Yves Camdeborde who have so much to teach us about graciousness and hospitality because we ourselves have received so much from God.