By Stephen Wolemonwu
(Psalm 119:161-176, Lev. 19:33-37, 1Corinth 13:1-13, Luke 10:25-37) And he said: “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him: “Go and do likewise,” Luke 10:37.

Introduction
We live in a time when walls are rising faster than bridges. Across the globe, people are becoming more self-centered, measuring worth by money rather than mercy.

In Nigeria, politicians are increasingly becoming fraudulent, trading the trust of the people for personal gain. Religious leaders, once shepherds of unity, now fracture the flock along tribal lines.

Prejudice has crept into the church, dividing believers by language, blood ties, and cultural heritage.

The stranger at the gate is no longer welcomed; he is feared, ignored or exploited. Yet, the gospel calls us to something radically different. In a world obsessed with self, Christ calls us to self giving love. In a society where corruption and tribalism thrive, the church is summoned to radical hospitality—an evangelism that does not merely preach, but touches, heals and embraces the outsider.

Radical hospitality is not optional; it is the heartbeat of the kingdom. It is the Samaritan crossing the road to bind wounds. It is Israel commanded to love the foreigner as themselves. It is Paul declaring that without love, all gifts and tongues are noise. It is the Psalmist delighting in God’s word, which teaches us to live beyond prejudice.

In this age of division, the church must rise as a community of welcome, tearing down walls of creed, culture, and class and opening the gates wide to the stranger. For in touching the stranger, we touch Christ Himself.

Men, through religious walls, cultural differences, and societal status, have built barriers that divide humanity. These walls are erected by prejudice, fear, and pride—walls that separate Jew from Gentile, rich from poor, insider from outsider. Yet the gospel of Christ is the great demolisher of these walls.

• Religious walls: Pharisees in Jesus’ day drew lines of purity and exclusion, but Christ touched lepers, ate with sinners and welcomed tax collectors.

• Cultural walls: Samaritans and Jews despised one another, yet Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of mercy in Luke 10.

•Societal walls: Status and class often dictate who is “worthy” or “acceptable,” but Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that without love, all status and gifts are meaningless.

Radical hospitality is the gospel’s answer to human walls. To touch the stranger at the gate is to touch Christ Himself. Evangelism is not only preaching across pulpits, but also breaking barriers across cultures, religions, and social divides—showing that in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one,” (Gal. 3:28). We are all one in Christ.

What Is Radical Hospitality?
In the context of this discussion, radical hospitality means going far beyond ordinary kindness or polite welcome. It is the gospel driven practice of opening our lives, our homes, and our hearts to those who are different, marginalised, or even despised by society. It is “radical” because it cuts against the scuffle of our age—an age where self interest, corruption, tribalism and prejudice dominate.

Radical hospitality confronts self centeredness: In a world where people are increasingly money conscious and self absorbed, it insists that the stranger’s need is as important as our own comfort.

•Radical hospitality resists corruption and tribalism: In Nigeria and beyond, where politicians exploit and religious leaders divide along ethnic lines, it calls the church to embody Christ’s love that transcends tribe, language and blood ties.

•Radical hospitality heals prejudice: Where the church has been fractured by cultural and linguistic walls, it reminds us that in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free, no Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo, but one body united in love.

• Radical hospitality is evangelism in action: It is the Samaritan crossing the road to bind wounds, Israel commanded to love the foreigner, and Paul declaring that without love, life is meaningless.

• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)