Practice Hospitality

SR

Luke 14:12

12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Genesis 18:1–8 NIV

1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

I. Ordinary Encounter

Ordinary Day

Trees, tent, heat

Strangers appear—ordinary meal: bread, milk, curds, meat

Abraham stands by ready to serve

Nothing seems especially amazing or outstanding at this point.

Except when you think about what Jesus said in Matthew 25. The day of judgment

Sheep and Goats:  (34) "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Not about correct doctrine/theology

Not about church membership

Not about baptism

Very ordinary things are the basis of judgment. I wonder about our “ordinary encounters.” They may not seem special or that they would be a story that would end up in scripture like this one, but how might our simple acts of hospitality, providing water, a meal, a place to stop and be refreshed turn into something that God makes fruitful.

I was sick recently and had to go to the urgent care. Sat next to a lady with a book.

There is plenty of scripture that explains why people of faith ought to be hospitable to neighbor.

Deuteronomy 10:17-19

17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

It seems implied in the rationale for “hospitality” is that a “stranger” is involved, and there is an invitation here to remember that Jews were strangers in Egypt. They were the outcasts and the aliens.

Col 1 says

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

This is the business of God— reconciling others. Reaching out to the one who is completely and wholly unlike himself—you and me.

Henri Nouwen, p. 71

II. Epiphany of the Seeker

Sometimes in hospitality, there is a recognition of the involvement of the Lord.

Remember Peter when he went to Cornelius’ house? That was hard for him. Vision of the sheet, etc. In this case, Cornelius was hosting Peter. Peter was the one invited in. I wonder about those opportunities. Have we been invited somewhere but we judged the person or their circumstances and we didn’t go. Was there maybe a missed opportunity there?

Ax 10:34 “I now realize now true it is that God doesn’t show favoritism.”

Then Peter relays his story to the rest of the brothers in Jerusalem

Ax 11:18 people say, “so then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.

So sometimes we experience these moments when God’s actions didn’t quite fit our mold or expectation, yet we reflect and say “ah yes, I see the hand of God even in this situation.”

Luke 24:13—Road to Emmaus story Vs. 28-32, esp vs. 35

Luke 24:28–35 NIV

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Walked and talked with them and they tell him who sad they were because they had their hearts set on Jesus being the one, but they turned out to be wrong.

Rebukes them (vs. 25-26)

Explains all the scriptures about himself (vs. 27). That’s quite a “Bible study”!

But they don’t recognize him until he “breaks bread”

Weren’t our hearts burning?

2x vs. 31 and vs. 35—recognition happens at the table—breaking bread, eating together, fellowship, hospitality, ordinary. Listen to the text:

He went to stay with them . . .

He was at the table with them . . .

He was recognized by them . . .

III. Experience of the Sacred

Going back to two texts we’ve already read and we see two questions

Genesis 18

The men who have come to visit Abraham ask: Where’s Sarah? She’ll have a son. Sarah laughs, etc.

Your wife will have a son. It’s in the ordinary fellowship, ordinary day that God pronounces his blessing.

Matthew 25

When did we see you Lord? When were you hungry, naked, thirsty, in prison?

Whatever you did for the least of these, you did it for me.

Axel Story

Axel called Joel up the other day and it looks like she’s relocating already. She’s got a new job just outside of Pasadena. Little town called Sierra Madre, and she’s wondering if we know anyone over there and if she could stay with someone a few days while she hunts for an apartment . . .