Inviting the Stranger to Stay
Month 12: Risen & Sending · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 24:28-31
28 As they approached the village where they were headed, He seemed to be going farther. 29 But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.
Memory Verse
“They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?””— Luke 24:32 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Thessalonians 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-2
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Comfort about those who sleep in Jesus, rejoice always, and stand firm in the truth.)The Heart of It
As the road to Emmaus ended, "He indicated that He would have gone farther." But the two disciples would not let their kind companion vanish into the dusk. "They constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent'" (). They didn't yet know He was Jesus. To them He was simply a stranger who had walked a long way and would soon be alone in the dark. So they opened their home. They set a place at the table. And it was in that very act of welcome, at the table, in the breaking of bread, that their eyes were opened and they knew Him. They welcomed a stranger, and the Stranger turned out to be the Lord Himself.
This is one of the quietest, loveliest pictures of loving others in the Gospels. They could have said a polite goodbye and gone in to their own dinner. Instead they urged Him to stay. The Bible later tells us why this matters so much. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (). Think of the lonely, the new kid, the visitor, the one with nowhere to go. When we make room for them at our table, we are doing exactly what Jesus loves. And we very often meet Him there. Loving others is rarely dramatic. Usually it looks like an open door, a chair pulled out, a "come and stay with us." A family that practices welcome is a family that keeps bumping into Jesus.
Around the Table
The two friends didn't want the kind man to walk on alone in the dark, so they said, "Stay with us!" When we invite people in and share our food, that makes Jesus happy.
Let's do it: Pull out a chair and practice saying, "Come in! Stay and eat with us!"
The disciples welcomed someone they thought was just a tired stranger — and it turned out to be Jesus! God loves it when we make room for others.
Let's talk: Who is someone at school or church who might feel lonely or left out? How could we welcome them?
Their welcome wasn't convenient. It was evening. They were tired and grieving. Yet they pressed the stranger to stay. Real love for others costs us something ().
Let's go deeper: When is it hardest for you to "make room" for someone? And how could you do it anyway this week?
💬 Conversation Starter
If a brand-new kid showed up with nowhere to sit at lunch, what's one thing you could do?— The Emmaus friends made room for a stranger — and met Jesus.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Even tiny details ring true here. The disciples urge Jesus to stay. He acts as if He will go on. He breaks the bread. Honest memory keeps such small, human moments. Invented tales smooth them away. The Gospels read like testimony, not myth ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Welcoming others is one of the most under-taught Christian virtues. It is also one of the most shaping things a family can practice together. Notice where the disciples recognized Jesus. It was not on the road, in the talk about Scripture. They recognized Him at the table, in the act of welcome. There is a pattern in Scripture. God keeps showing up in the open door, the shared meal, the room made for the stranger. Think of Abraham in . For a father, this means discipleship isn't only catechism and verses. It is also pulling an extra chair to the table. It is teaching your kids that our home is not a fortress but a refuge. Few things will preach the gospel to your children more powerfully than watching you treat the lonely, the awkward, and the outsider as guests worth your time. So open the door this week, and let your kids watch you meet Jesus in the welcome.
Draws on: Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes with a House Key.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You for being welcomed by people who didn't even know who You were. Make our home a place of open doors. Help us see the lonely. Help us make room for them. And let us meet You as we love others. In Jesus' name, amen."
Love often looks like an open door. And the family that welcomes the stranger keeps meeting Jesus.