It’s an ancient humane and humanising custom. It’s an art form that takes practice, skill and interpersonal generosity. It’s a way of behaving that makes the world a safer place. It’s a gentle process of dismantling walls and building bridges. It’s an act of trust that engenders more trust, in a widening circle of friendship. It’s called hospitality.
There is a lovely Greek word which translates as hospitality. It is philoxenia. It means to love (philo) the stranger (xenia), and is used about open doors and prepared guest rooms. It is one of the identifiable practices of a Christian community. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb. 13.2)
At the University we have just finished a week long Summer School on the theme of “Living Faithfully in a World of Division and Despair.” We looked at Friendship, Belonging, Reconciliation, and Hospitality. These are four of the supporting pillars of a healthy society; and they are under threat in contemporary Britain.
When Theresa May was Home Secretary she boasted that her aim was, and I quote, “to create a hostile environment for migrants.” As Prime Minister she has continued to use such language, and wittingly or unwittingly, has given support and ammunition to tabloid racism and xenophobia. People who have made their homes in this country for years, in some cases decades, are increasingly feeling unwanted, threatened by a Home Office overseeing increasingly complex immigration processes, changing rules, and shifting goalposts.
Christian communities worship one who had nowhere to lay his head; Jesus was a child refugee; his ministry was amongst the dispossessed, vulnerable, marginalised and poor. Christians hold firmly to two central equalising truths; every person is made in the image of God, and has an inherent worth and dignity; and every person is one for whom Christ died, and is our neighbour, to be loved as ourselves.
And yes, I know that the world of politics requires realism, rules and structures that enable peaceful co-existence and just processes. But here’s the thing. This country used to be known for its “philoxenia”, its welcome of the stranger. Now we are becoming known as a country gripped by "xenophobia". Hospitality creates a benevolent environment for the stranger. For the Home Office to embed the notion of "hostile environment" in its policies and public discourse is to institutionalise xenophobia. My prayer for our political leaders of all parties is for a return of philoxenia, hospitality, as our default position towards those who come to us as strangers, seeking friendship.
Comments