Hospitality - How To Serve Guests In Your Home

Hospitality – How To Serve Guests In Your Home | In this post see how to prepare for your guest and serve in your home.

Today, I am discussing How To Serve Guests In Your Home. If you have been following along with my hospitality series you have read:

How To Practice Practical Hospitality:

Where I talk about the art of practicing hospitality and why it’s important for Christians to pursue.

Hospitality – How To Have A Hospitable Home:

Where I discuss how to prepare your home to be warm, welcoming and inviting for your guest. Creating a space where people naturally want to linger.

I asked four friends this question, “What makes you feel at home when you’re visiting someone’s house for an afternoon or evening meal?”. Here are their answers:

Relaxed conversation
Laughter
Casual, informal atmosphere
Gathering around the table
Everyday dishes
Simple food
Feeling free to take your shoes off
Knowing the host is enjoying the occasion and not overdoing it
A relaxed host

I love their answers! Don’t you? And, the best thing about it is that they are all 100% doable. There’s not one fancy, elegant, or extravagant thing listed there. While you certainly want to put our best foot forward, it’s nice not to feel like you have to go to extremes every time you want to have a guest in your home. It appears that people are far more comfortable with the every day you in your everyday elements.

How To Serve Guests In Your Home:

Be relaxed! When you are, your guests will be too. If you are uptight as you host, they will feel it and become uncomfortable.
Serve a simple meal! Comfort food fits the bill great here. Prepare simple meals that you are familiar with cooking and are your family favorites. Now is probably not the best time to try out that recipe you just found on Pinterest.
Use your everyday dishes. This lets people know that this is indeed a relaxed, casual meal.
After you have gathered around the table and enjoyed the meal linger awhile. Ask those intentional questions that help you get to know someone on a deeper level. Share stories about yourself. Laugh together at each other’s stories.
Once the dishes are cleared, go the family/living room get comfortable, kick off their shoes, and linger some more. Give your guests the opportunity to share themselves with you in relaxed conversation. As you slowly get to know someone, barriers are broken down, and pathways of communication are opened. Great friendships are formed when those two things happen.

Once these things start happening in your home, you will be well on your way to experiencing the joy of hospitality.

Here are four books on hospitality that I plan on reading.

Be sure and check out my other posts in the series on hospitality:

How To Practice Practical Hospitality

Hospitality – How To Have A Hospitable Home

Hospitality – How To Serve Guests In Your Home (You are here!)

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