“Look At You”: Hospitality at Work
by Naomi Hartman
“I want a house with a crowded table / And a place by the fire for everyone”
— “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen
These song lyrics brought me to tears last week. Not because I was picturing an elaborate dinner party, but because I was imagining people gathered with room made for them to belong, feel cared for, and be celebrated. That vision is the heart of biblical hospitality, and the spirit behind the song is what Jesus modeled: making room for others. Having a posture of welcome, care, and humility toward the person right in front of you—even at work.
“Entertaining says ‘look at me’ — hospitality says ‘look at you.’”
— Phylicia Masonheimer
I experienced this kind of hospitality recently through Amber, a church staff member and operations wizard who had just finished leading our church's two-day women’s conference. In the final hours of the event, I saw her power-walking across the lobby, caffeinated and in the final sprint of a long weekend, so I turned the other way. I walked in that morning carrying the weight of a hard conversation with my husband, trying my best to coast through the event unnoticed. But Amber noticed. She locked eyes with me, stopped dead in her tracks, and asked, “Naomi, are you okay?” As she stood in front of me, she made space, listened well, prayed for me, and then continued with her day. She had every reason to keep moving, but she chose to pause.
Throughout Jesus’s ministry, we see him doing the same thing. In Mark 10, Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, en route to do important, time-sensitive things. But Jesus is not in a rush. He hears a blind man named Bartimaeus call to him from the roadside. When the crowd tries to silence Bartimaeus, Jesus stops. He pauses his missional journey to heal Bartimaeus. He makes room. He looks at Bartimaeus.
That posture of pausing, noticing, and seeing a person is the heart of biblical hospitality. The coworkers, clients, and customers we interact with each day all bear the image of God. We honor Him when we honor them.
So, what does biblical hospitality at work look like?
It starts with pausing, a countercultural choice in our rushed, task-obsessed workplaces. Once we pause long enough to really see someone, the ways to care for them become clear. Maybe it’s asking the quiet intern for their thoughts in a meeting, going out of your way to meet a client at a location that’s more convenient for them, or taking a moment to highlight a colleague’s work that no one else noticed. It might look like remembering a teammate’s dietary restriction when ordering lunch or using a vendor’s professional title correctly when introducing them. Every day, we have opportunities to say “look at you!” instead of “look at me,” and practice biblical hospitality.
"Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality."
– Romans 12:13
In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul exhorts Christians, all Christians, to practice hospitality in two ways. First, to share with those “who are in need.” Since we ALL have needs, every workplace encounter is an opportunity to notice the needs around you. Second, is the word “practice.” Hospitality is a skill we can practice; it isn't reserved for event planners or people who excel at entertaining. Hospitality is a Christ-like posture that can be learned over time. It's for every believer, in every industry, in every city.
Who will you interact with at work this week that you haven’t noticed before? Maybe the “crowded table” you host looks more like a screen full of squares on a video call, and the “place by the fire” is a corner table at a coffee shop where you ask your teammate how they're really doing.
Pause. Notice. And say: “Look at you.”
About Naomi Hartman
Denver Institute for Faith & Work
Naomi serves as the Public Engagement Manager and primarily focuses on event management and podcast production for Denver Institute. Previously, she has spent her career managing various nonprofit ministry events in both Christian camping and prison ministry spheres. Naomi is passionate about gathering people for a common purpose, and may be more excited about your birthday than you are. Outside of Denver Institute she enjoys live music, comedy and hosting dinner parties with her husband Kyle.