Hospitality and kindness were very important in early Christianity. It is always easier to be hospitable to those we know or like, but John urges hospitality towards fellow believers even if they are strangers. That is the point - in Christ Jesus there are no strangers. Today we can extend hospitality to refugees and homeless people in various ways, and that is an eloquent testimony to our faith in the Lord.

Be a pest - that is what Jesus told his followers to be when they prayed to God. He gave an humorous example of a corrupt judge that was worn down by the nagging and pleading of a widow seeking justice. He finally gave in and granted her request - just to get rid of her! God is certainly not a corrupt judge - this was just humour - but the point is still valid. Prayer should not be a half-hearted or distracted affair, but something done with intensity and persistence. When we do so, we open a channel through which God can manifest his loving power.