Preparing for Guests

In my last post, I wrote about the importance hospitality plays in the Church.  As we learned in a previous post A Guide to Living the Virtuous Life, the Proverbs 31 Woman has 10 virtues; when we practice hospitality, we are demonstrating four of them: homemaking, service, time, and beauty. This is because being hospitable involves using your time to prepare your home to serve others in a way that brings beauty into their lives, which is pleasing to God.

We learned from Mary that we should spend time with our guests instead of busying ourselves with preparations as her sister Martha did. Therefore in today’s post, I will discuss how to prepare your home so that you (and I) can always be ready to entertain guests.

See Related: How to Practice Hospitality

Preparing Your Home for Guests

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of preparing my home for guests is organizing and cleaning. I like to start with organizing because because being organized in your approach helps you to be efficient with all of your other tasks. Being organized when it comes to cleaning involves creating a daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal cleaning schedule to stay on top of all of the cleaning that needs to be done.

---

“She looks well to how things go in her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired); Her husband also, and he praises her, saying, ‘Many daughters have done nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], But you excel them all.’”

– Proverbs 31:27-29 AMP

Having everything clean and organized is only one part of preparing to entertain guests. The other part is gathering all of the things you will need to serve your guests. How many of these items do you already have?

Essentials for entertaining:

• Serving Tray
• Cheese Board (or marble Cheese Stone) and Cheese Knives
• Large cutting board for charcuterie
• Dip dishes or a Chip and Dip Bowl
• Large Serving Bowl
• Serving Utensils
• Ladle

For bevarages:

• Glassware and Coasters
• Beverage Dispenser Set
• Pitcher
• Ice Bucket

For the table:

• Dinnerware Set or Eco-friendly Bamboo plates and utensils
• Soup Bowls
• Cloth Napkins
• Salt and Pepper Grinder
• Butter Dish
• Trivet
• Dutch Oven
• Bread Basket
• Olive Oil Dispenser

For Dessert:

• Tea Pot
• Cake Stand

---

Preparing for Dinner Guests

We learned from the Shunammite Woman in one way we are to be hospitable when she provided a meal for Elisha. 

“Now there came a day when Elisha went over to Shunem, where there was a prominent and influential woman, and she persuaded him to eat a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal.” – 2 Kings 4:8 (AMP)

Considering that we may not always have advance notice of a dinner guest, it will be helpful to create a party pantry with some staples to make quick appetizers or to make simple meals shine. After some doing some research on Real Simple and Food Network, here are some suggestions:

If you have advance notice, set up a baked potato, taco, or salad bar with toppings that guests can choose for themselves. Or you can set up an ice cream bar for dessert. Another quick dessert idea is picking up slices of angel food cake from the bakery and adding whipped cream and fresh berries.

Create a playlist and plan games and activities for ice breakers.

“Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built, And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], And by knowledge its rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”

– Proverbs 24:3-4 AMP

Preparing for Overnight Guests

Of course, we have to keep the pandemic in mind, so what are some ways to show hospitality while also maintaining social distance? Please comment below.

Until next time! 💕

Pin it!

• 

•