The Glory of the House

Gold-leaf over California redwood served as the medium for the phrase "The Glory of the House is Hospitality." The Greene and Greene designed house in Pasadena, California named "The Culbertson House" was completed in 1911 or 1913 (I have read few different accounts) and the entry way bore the motto as guests entered through the main door. The above panel is the "hospitality panel."

"The Glory of the House is Hospitality" was a phrase that sought to remind guests that not only did home quality and craftsmanship change during the industrial revolution, but the function of houses also changed. The twentieth century saw a decline in hospitality in the home as the "industry of hospitality" was on the rise.

Why would you offer a bed to a visitor? There's a hotel down the street.
Why should you cook a meal for another family when a restaurant is not far from your home or church?
Why offer respite and comfort to a traveler when there's a whole industry built for those very purposes?

Industrialization not only brought changes to homes, furnishings, and other commercial goods, it also brought changes to the way that we love our neighbors and our fellow Christians. The unintended consequences of this late 19th and early 20th century cultural shift was we also stopped opening our homes and providing meals and rest for others.

It was no longer our job. Industrialization changed Christian love. The culture changed hospitality.

Hebrews 13:2 says, "Be not forgetful to practice hospitality: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." The Apostle Peter says, "Practice hospitality one to another without grudging." (I Peter 4:9). Romans 12:13 says that it is our duty to one another as Christians to be "given to hospitality." The Apostle Paul says that elders and pastors need to be "lovers of hospitality." (Titus 1:8). And, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ himself said, "For I was an hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:"

Has a cultural shift from two generations ago affected your thinking about your home and the place of hospitality? Is your home your castle or is your house Christ's hospital? One has glory as Greene and Greene reminded us a century ago in the entryway of 1188 Hillcrest Avenue in Pasadena.

"The glory of the house is hospitality."