When we come together around food, we're not just eating a meal. We're connecting with others at the table and forming deeper bonds than daily conversation allows. As the food refreshes our bodies, these moments of connection refresh our souls.
Something special happens when we take this fellowship of food one step further and reach out to those who don't have a regular place at our tables. Whether we invite them into our homes or meet them where they are in times of need, sharing food creates opportunities to share this same physical and spiritual refreshment.
It's an outpouring of the love that God shows us. He gives generously out of His abundance (see Psalm 145:15-16 and Matthew 6:25-32) and calls us to be stewards of these gifts—including food. Sharing should be our natural response when we realize the magnitude of His goodness.
And, by sharing our blessings, we bless others. As we provide "daily bread," we point to the true Bread from Heaven—Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself in the ultimate act of service.
In essence, we echo what He did: set ourselves aside and make room for others in our lives.
Inviting Others to Our Table
Creating opportunities for real-life connection is an essential part of being human. There's a reason 42% of us prefer in-person interaction and young adults in particular consider face-to-face time to be of higher quality than digital communication: We were built for relationship.
And yet, so many of us spend the majority of our lives in a bubble without making connections beyond sending a few texts or commenting on a handful of social media posts. It’s rare that we open our doors to friends, neighbors or the familiar faces we see every day but with whom we rarely speak.
Practicing Biblical hospitality through shared meals shatters these self-made comfort zones.
It's a far simpler—and more profound—form of hospitality than the picture-perfect, everyone-smiling-around-the-holiday-table hospitality we convince ourselves is necessary when we have people over for dinner. Rather, it’s the hospitality that Paul told the Romans to be "given to" in Romans 12:13: inviting others to share our table as a way of getting to know them on a more intimate level.
These moments of connection are essential, but many of the people around us miss out on them due to schedule, social standing or misguided judgements about the groups with which they identify. They couldn't care less if the table they’re invited to is Instagram worthy; they're just waiting for someone to notice them, acknowledge them as people and show them the same kindness that Christ exemplified during His earthly ministry.
And many of them can give us nothing in return for the hospitality we extend. Embracing this reality requires us to reject another prevailing societal myth: that every action must be repaid like for like.
Jesus warns against this approach in Luke 6, pointing out the commonality of the error and replacing it with a heavenly application (see Luke 6:34,38). Anyone, He says, will extend a favor or lend a hand if they expect to be compensated in return. But the heavenly mindset—the kind of hospitality God calls for us to practice—gives freely with no thought of earthly reward, knowing that future heavenly reward is much greater.
So much greater that it dwarfs any discomfort or inconvenience we may experience when we open up a seat at the table.
The Blessing of Entertaining Strangers
Inviting others to our tables breaks our familiar routines and introduces a measure of unpredictability. And, if we start sharing meals with strangers, we enter uncharted territory.
Uncharted, that is, from our modern perspective, but not in light of Biblical hospitality. Whereas our society tends to encourage tribalism, the Bible encourages reaching out to others with open arms.
Throughout Scripture, we see examples of everyday people opening their homes to and sharing their provisions with others they didn't know—even when it cost them something. And God often poured out unexpected blessings as a result.
We see this clearly in the prophet Elijah's encounter with the widow of Zarephath, recorded in 1 Kings 17. The account begins with God declaring three years of severe drought as judgement for the king of Israel's wicked acts.
It doesn’t take long for food to become scarce, but God makes special provision for Elijah. He instructs the prophet to go live by a brook and uses ravens to send him bread and meat twice a day.
When the brook dries up, God instructs Elijah to move on to Zarephath, where he is to meet a widow who will, via God's instruction, continue to provide for him. But things aren’t going so well for the widow:
...when [Elijah] came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. (1 Kings 17:10-12, KJV)
This woman doesn’t have enough to feed herself and her son, and yet God chose her to be the one to share her table with Elijah. She had to not only step out of her comfort zone but also trust that God would provide for her and the prophet:
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:13-16, KJV)
In following God's command to extend hospitality, this widow woman blessed Elijah—and received blessing herself. It's a principle echoed in Hebrews 13:2, where we're instructed to extend hospitality to strangers, "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
The widow didn't know who was asking her for food or what the outcome of inviting him into her home would be. It's the same with us: We never know who God will bring across our paths when we're willing to share our tables.
Unlike the widow, most of us aren't facing empty fridges and pantries. In fact, we have more than enough to go around. God has showered us with abundant blessings—including the sense of community and belonging we get from sharing meals with family and friends.
Showing hospitality to strangers means being willing to bring them into that community. It means praying for opportunities to practice the attitude Jesus displayed during His earthly ministry: By sharing meals with people whom the religious elite of His day despised, He brought them into His circle and opened the door for them to hear God's message of redemption.
And, through His work on the cross, He made it possible for all who accept His sacrifce as the ultimate payment for sin to enter the family of God—a community we could never enter ourselves.
How many people around us could use that kind of open welcome? How many could be uplifted and blessed by our giving them a seat with our families, bringing them into our lives and showing them the same love and care that God shows us?
There's a special blessing in getting past our fear of the unknown, setting aside our prejudices and making space at the table for the strangers God sends our way. But we can't enjoy that blessing until and unless we step out in faith.
Feeding Others in Their Time of Need
It's a kind of hospitality that can have eternal impact, particularly when we use our God-given abundance of food to respond to specific needs. Jesus Himself made this point—and the implications are awesome:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
... Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:35,36,40, KJV)
When we minister to and provide for others in times of need, we serve Christ. It’s our opportunity to do what those in Jesus’ day did when they offered Him and His disciples accommodations and meals. As a group with no permanent dwelling place, they relied on others’ generosity for food and shelter throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry.
We don’t have to look far to find similar needs. Many in our churches—and beyond—are struggling with illness, facing financial hardship or going through significant life changes. Everywhere we look, we encounter opportunities to use food as a vehicle for service.
Of course, that requires getting out of our own way, opening our eyes and paying attention to those around us. It requires adjusting our budgets and our schedules to prepare extra meals for those outside our families. It requires making room in our hearts and taking time to offer a willing ear or a shoulder to cry on if necessary.
And sometimes, it requires offering a seat at the table to those who have no one else.
Alone, But Not Forgotten
The importance of caring for those who have no other support, particularly widows and orphans, is a recurring theme in the Bible:
In Psalm 68:5, God Himself is described as "a father of the fatherless, and a judge [defender or protector] of widows."
In Acts 6, the apostles specifically appointed a group of six godly men to oversee the care of widows in the early church.
In James 1:27, James declares that visiting widows and the fatherless is a mark of "pure" and "undefiled" religion.
These Biblical examples and directives paint a picture of ongoing care, a dedication to ensuring that those who lose emotional and financial support for themselves and their families aren't forgotten or neglected in times of greatest need.
No matter what circumstances led to their loss, we are to reach out and serve with discernment but without judgment. As Jesus did in His day, we're to invite them to the table and show them love—not point fingers. This leaves the door open for any spiritual restoration that may be necessary and prevents anyone from being passed over based on subjective assessments of their situations.
It's a ministry to which there is no lack of hands to contribute. Many people in our churches, families and wider circles of friends have talents they can use to bless those who would otherwise be left without support. Between us all, we can make room at our tables for the needy in our communities.
But before we can rally around the cause of serving the forgotten and alone, someone has to notice their needs. Like Jesus, we must keep our eyes and hearts open to those around us. Once we begin to see and respond, it inspires others to follow suit.
And God will bring these people across our paths if we seek opportunities with prayerful and willing hearts.
This is part one of a two-part series. Stay tuned for part two on October 5th, where we'll explore modern-day gleaning and using food as means for outreach.
Thanks to Foster members Christine Cauthen and Shubham Khoje for their help bringing this piece together!