Jesus and Zacchaeus - Yelena Pakhomova

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”

—Henri Nouwen

We’ve all likely had the experience where someone made space for us.
A grandparent, a dear friend, a stranger who didn’t speak our language, or even someone we didn’t agree with.

Maybe they offered us welcome. They made us feel safe.
They chose to be vulnerable.
They extended kindness when they could have withheld it.

Whatever the case, these kinds of experiences show us how powerful hospitality can be. How embrace transforms us. How, in a world of tension, hostility, and boundary-making, we often come alive when we choose to open and hold space for others.

Let’s consider how the Scriptures show us a God like this, always making room.