A Midsummer's Reflection Series

Monday, June 1, 2026

Meditation 1: Genesis 18:1–8 

By the Seine, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Paris, May-July 1887

Genesis 18:1-8 invites us to consider the hospitality of Abraham. The Lord appeared to Abraham through three men whom Christian tradition informs us were angels representing the Triune God, and yet, Abraham is unaware to whom he is showing hospitality. Nevertheless, the passage presents us with a marvelous example of hospitality in the Old Testament.

The passage informs us that this event occurred “in the heat of the day” (18:1). The heat must have been oppressive. Abraham positioned himself at his tent’s door. The heat would probably have been unbearable inside the tent, but the doorway perhaps still provided some shade.  

As soon as Abraham saw the three visitors, he rushed to extend to them hospitality befitting of his status as head of his tribe and in light of his new relationship with God. Notice the language the text employs: The moment Abraham saw them, he “ran” in order “to meet them” (18:2).

Abraham, with a welcoming disposition, invited them to enjoy his hospitality, showing them deference and honor as he bowed to them. He offered them water to bathe their feet. He provided shade from his tree to give them rest. Finally, he provided them with food: bread, milk, and a calf.  

This example of hospitality should inspire us to extend hospitality when and where we can. We, too, encounter travelers in our midst. They may not be physically traveling through the desert, but we are all pilgrims traveling on a spiritual journey through the earth.  

Almighty God, Lord of all the earth, help us to extend hospitality to those we meet. We ask, Lord, that you give us, like Abraham, eyes to see the needs of the travelers in our midst, even when we ourselves experience our own life challenges. 

Dr. Jeffrey Morrow, Ph.D. is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Director of the St. Paul Studies Center at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He spent 15 years as a professor of theology at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. In his final year in that role, Dr. Morrow worked on the Preaching as Hospitality Formation Program, writing these reflections on Scripture through a lens of hospitality. 

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