Life / Small Group · aligned to Methodist / Wesleyan
Welcoming the Stranger: The Gospel of Hospitality
Christian hospitality is not entertaining our friends but extending the welcome of God—who first welcomed us in Christ—to the stranger, the outsider, and the overlooked.
Review & safety checks
This lesson plan is well-crafted and theologically sound. The teaching clearly anchors biblical hospitality in Wesleyan grace theology (prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace), appropriately cites Scripture throughout, and the Wesleyan quadrilateral is honored (Scripture primary, with reason and experience woven through discussion and application). The progression from God's heart → Jesus' example → church calling is logical, and the activity thoughtfully moves from personal reflection to accountability to collective action. Leader notes show pastoral sensitivity. No plagiarism detected, no doctrinal tensions, and the sensitive material (exclusion, anxiety around hospitality) is already flagged in the prep checklist with appropriate care. Ready to use.
No theology, sensitivity, or plagiarism issues flagged. Reviewed against the Methodist / Wesleyan Statement of Faith.
Lesson plan
Gather the group and briefly frame tonight's theme: hospitality. Read Hebrews 13:2 aloud and open in prayer, asking God to soften hearts toward the strangers and outsiders He brings across our path. Keep this tight—name the big idea in one sentence: 'Tonight we'll see that hospitality is less about a clean house and more about an open heart that reflects the welcome God gave us in Christ.'
Teach in three movements. (1) GOD'S HEART FOR THE STRANGER: Walk through Leviticus 19:34—Israel was commanded to love the foreigner BECAUSE they themselves were once strangers in Egypt. Hospitality flows from remembering our own rescue. (2) JESUS EMBODIES WELCOME: In Matthew 25:35, Jesus so identifies with the stranger that to welcome them is to welcome Him. In Luke 14:13-14 He upends our instinct to invite only those who can repay us—true hospitality reaches the poor, the overlooked, those who cannot return the favor. From a Wesleyan view, this is grace at work: just as God's prevenient grace went before us while we were still strangers to Him, we extend grace before it is earned. (3) THE CHURCH'S CALLING: Romans 12:13 and 1 Peter 4:9 make hospitality a normal mark of Christian community—'without grumbling,' even when it costs us. Distinguish biblical hospitality (philoxenia, 'love of stranger') from modern entertaining (impressing friends). Note how the pursuit of holiness includes our hospitality habits—sanctifying grace shapes our ordinary tables, doorways, and schedules into places of welcome. Close the talk by asking: who is the 'stranger' in our context—a new neighbor, an immigrant, a lonely coworker, the awkward newcomer at church?
Move through the discussion questions, starting with the warm-up to surface experiences of being welcomed (or not), then digging into the Scriptures, then pressing toward application. In a medium group, consider breaking into pairs or threes for the deeper questions, then regathering for the apply question so everyone commits to something concrete.
Hand each person an index card. Ask them to write down ONE specific name—a real person who currently feels like a stranger or outsider to them (a new neighbor, a coworker eating alone, a visitor at church)—and ONE concrete act of welcome they will offer this week (a shared meal, a coffee invitation, a note, a conversation). Then in pairs, share your name and plan with one other person who will check in next week. Collect nothing; the cards go home. As a group, brainstorm aloud 2-3 ways your small group as a whole could practice hospitality together this month (e.g., hosting a meal for newcomers).
Invite the group to silently lift up the person named on their card. Close by praying that God would make this group a community known for welcome, and thank Him that while we were still strangers, He welcomed us home in Christ.
Discussion questions
- warmupThink of a time you walked into a room or place where you knew no one. What made you feel welcomed—or unwelcomed?
- digLeviticus 19:34 ties Israel's call to love the stranger to their own experience as strangers in Egypt. How does remembering that we were once 'strangers' to God change the way we approach people who feel like outsiders?
- digIn Matthew 25:35 Jesus identifies Himself with the stranger, and in Luke 14:13-14 He tells us to invite those who cannot repay us. What's the difference between biblical hospitality and simply 'entertaining' the people we already like?
- dig1 Peter 4:9 says to show hospitality 'without grumbling.' What internal attitudes or practical fears make hospitality hard for you, and what would it look like to surrender those to God's grace?
- applyWho is one specific 'stranger' in your life right now, and what is one concrete way you could welcome them this week?
Scripture
Hebrews 13:2 (BSB) — Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Leviticus 19:34 (BSB) — You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Matthew 25:35 (BSB) — For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
Luke 14:13-14 (BSB) — But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Romans 12:13 (BSB) — Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
1 Peter 4:9 (BSB) — Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
Leader notes
Prep checklist
- Read all six Scripture passages in context beforehand and pick one personal story of being welcomed (or welcoming someone) to make the teaching warm and relatable.
- Pray for your group members and for the 'strangers' God may be calling each of them to welcome.
- Decide in advance whether your medium-sized group will discuss as a whole or split into pairs/threes for the deeper questions; arrange seating accordingly.
- Prepare to gently steer the activity toward real, specific names and actions rather than vague good intentions.
- Think through 2-3 realistic group-wide hospitality ideas to seed the brainstorm if the group goes quiet.
- Be sensitive: some members may carry pain from being excluded or may feel anxious about hospitality due to finances, housing, or social fears—affirm that welcome takes many simple, low-cost forms.
Materials
- Bibles or printed copies of the six Scripture passages
- Index cards (one per person)
- Pens or pencils for everyone
- Optional: whiteboard or flip chart to capture group-wide hospitality ideas
- Optional: simple refreshments to model hospitality as people arrive
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