Homely Hospitality

Title: Homely Hospitality

Text: Philippians 2:19-30; Matthew 25:35-40

D.T Sometimes hospitality requires us to meet people where they are.

Introduction: Today we continue our “Welcome Home” series. The purpose of this series is to strive to make Central Church known as a welcome home in the community. Every week we discuss principles which will help us accomplish this goal. These principals make up the pillars which hold up a welcome home. Today we are adding another pillar to the structure. We are adding “Hospitality.” This may be the most obvious pillar of the bunch. It stands to reason that if you wish to provide a welcome home, you are going to have to show hospitality. The Oxford Languages dictionary describes hospitality as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Obviously if we want to create a welcome home, we need to practice hospitality in such a manner. However we must understand that sometimes showing hospitality is more involved then simply serving and entertaining. Over the next 2 weeks we will be discussing hospitality, but our focus isn’t going to be on the obvious answer. Our focus instead will draw upon the often overlooked aspects of hospitality.

Transition: The first overlooked aspect of hospitality is this. Sometimes hospitality requires us to meet people where they are. Obviously we want to be able to welcome people when they come to us, however that’s not always an option. Sometimes we have to go to the people who need hospitality the most. This is particularly true of people in crisis, in order for them to feel a welcome presence, we have to bring it to them. We see this on full display in our passage of scripture today. We are continuing in the book of Philippians chapter 2 verses 19-30.

As we already know, the apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the book of Philippians. This would qualify as an example of someone in the midst of a crisis. The Philippian church knows that in order for Paul to experience their hospitality, they are going to have to meet him where he is.

READ Philippians 2:19-30

Philippians 2:19–30 ESV

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

In this passage Paul promises to send 2 people to the Philippian church. Fun fact, this letter was probably delivered by one of these 2 people. The first was Timothy. Paul says I’m sending Timothy to you as my representative, you guys know Timothy, and you know he’s a more than capable representative on my behalf. Paul speaks about a man named Epaphroditus, and his story is fascinating.

The Church in Philippi chose Epaphroditus as the person who was going to bring the hospitality of the Philippian church to the apostle Paul. The people of the Philippian Church were very dedicated to helping Paul feel welcome through their hospitality.

It’s easy for us to forget how HUGE of an undertaking this would have been for Epaphroditus. Traveling here would be as simple as booking a flight, going through TSA and remembering to take your Dramamine before your flight. Epaphroditus would have likely traveled by foot, which would have taken nearly a month.

The city of Philippi was about 769 miles from Philippi IF Epaphroditus was able to book passage on a boat crossing the adriatic sea. If he had to walk around the sea, it would be a 1,216 mile trip. So if Epaphroditus was able to cross the sea, the trip would be comparable to going from Fulton to Denver. If Epaphroditus had to walk around the sea it would be comparable to traveling from Fulton to SLC.

This is quite the effort put forth to show someone hospitality. When you consider how this journey nearly killed Epaproditus, it really highlights the willingness to bring Philippian hospitality to Rome. It’s a show of hospitality Paul didn’t soon forget.

Going back to Philippians Chapter 1, when we discussed this passage we remarked how well Paul regarded the Philippian church. He thanked God every time he remembered them, and he prayed on their behalf, and praised them for being such good ministry partners. He then reassures them that God who began a good work in them would see it to completion. There are alot of good vibes in Philippians 1. Call me crazy, but I think a big reason why Paul had such good vibes for the Philippian church was because they took the initiative to bring their hospitality to him. The Philippian Church showed hospitality by meeting Paul where he was, and Paul didn’t soon forget.

I can personally attest to how important it is for people to meet people where they are and show them the hospitality of Christ.

When the Tornado hit Joplin, the community which was our home was turned upside down. The damage, the pain, the struggles, for many the community they called home for years no longer felt like the welcome home that it had grown to become.

Then the church would respond.

The church would follow the command of Matthew 25 to the letter. Our community was hungry, they fed us. Our community was thirsty, they gave us something to drink. Our community need clothes, they clothed us, our community was imprisoned by the reality of our catastrophe, and they came in the middle of that catastrophe and visited us.

The church excelled in this so well that all 8 governors of the 8 states that surround Missouri would lift weight restrictions on Semis bound for Joplin.

Joplin would feel like a welcome home again, and I do not believe that would have ever been possible if Christians weren’t willing to show us hospitality to meet us where we were.

Conclusion: Today we have the opportunity to show people hospitality by meeting them where they are. We are collecting money for hurricane relief, and this money will be used to buy the items the people in Florida will need so badly. So please consider donating. (Matthew 25 application) Our goal is to make Central Church a welcome home. Today let us do that by bringing hospitality to the places where people are, especially if they are in a catastrophe. That maybe, just maybe in the process of striving to become known as a welcome home, we help others find their welcome home once again.