Matthew 22:1-10 NIV
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, ’Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 "But they paid no attention and went off-- one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 "Then he said to his servants, ’The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Radical Hospitality
A man by the name of Jim Dunn was serving as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. His wife, Gladys, was a very friendly lady. She understood how important it is to make people feel welcome at church so she always made a point to talk to as many people as she could both before and after the service. One particular Sunday the morning worship service lasted a little longer than usual. In fact it lasted so long that most of the people were either looking at their watches or fidgeting in their seats. And of course there were even a few who fell asleep. After the service, the pastor’s wife was walking around talking to different people in the congregation when she noticed a man who looked like he was still about half asleep. She walked over to the elderly gentlemen who was sitting there trying to adjust his hearing aid and said, "Hello, I’m Gladys Dunn." The man looked up at her and said, “yea, I’m glad he’s done too, I didn’t think he was ever going to quit.”
We are beginning our five week sermon series today focusing on the “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.” We have been reading it as the Visioning Team and it has been giving us some good insights into Scripture, and it has challenged us to ask some very important and some very tough questions about the church. Now, it is your turn to venture into the waters of reformation… to explore scripture on a daily basis… to think… to question… to explore… to share… to talk. Hopefully, as a result we will all be a little closer to answering the question “What is a church?”
In some ways… the book has a very difficult premise about how the church today needs to change the very core of its being. At the same time… the premises of the book are extraordinarily simply… if I were to sum the entire book up into two simple words… they would be…. BE THE CHURCH. (turn)
It focuses on five basic principles that can be found in every thriving church in America: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity. We are going to be spending these next five weeks learning about each one. Not a one is more important than the other… like the illustration at the start… you can be welcoming… but what good is it if the worship is dull. My hope is that these sermons will spark some interest. My hope is that these sermons will spark some conversation. My hope is that these sermons will spark some ideas. So if the Holy Spirit moves you during these following weeks… please… don’t keep it to yourself.
Chapter one of the book focuses on a principle that every church practices… but not every church does well… the practice of WELCOME. You know, back when I was still in seminary, my friends and I were reading church resumes trying to discern where God was calling us to go. Can you guess what 90% of the churches said in their very first paragraph? “We are a friendly church.” Now… can any of you guess what even 10% of them meant by that? Does it mean… “I know everyone in my church?” Does it mean… “We like to touch and hug a lot?” Does it mean… “As long as you are Presbyterian… we will treat you like gold?” Or does it mean… “We are a welcoming community that accepts all people and does our very best to ensure that every person comes into contact with the living Christ through our warm community of faith.” In case you are wondering… yes First Pres Fairbury had “friendly church” in it’s church resume… but the real question is… what does that mean?
I would like to take a reading from this past week to help bring this concept home a little. It comes from day one of our study:
“A young single mom stands awkwardly in the entryway with her toddler, looking around at all the people she does not know on her first visit to a church. An acquaintance at work casually mentioned how she loved the music at her church and invited her to visit, but now she is not so sure this was a good idea. She is wondering about child care, self-conscious about the fussiness of her little one, unsure where the bathroom is, too timid to ask directions, doubting whether this is the right worship service for her, or whether this is even the right church. Where is she to sit, what is it going to feel like to sit alone with her child, and what if her little one makes too much noise? She feels the need for prayer; for some connection to others; and for something to lift her above the daily grind of her job, the unending bills, the conflicts with her ex-husband, and her worries for her child.” (Cultivating Fruitfulness, Page 9 Day 1)
Yesterday, our church hosted the biggest funeral we have had since I’ve been here, and I believe our church did it’s very best to make everyone feel welcome. We had the brand new upstairs completed for young families… babysitting provided for free… brand new toys… climate controlled with air conditioning… and signs in the Narthex explaining to people where things were and what we were offering to make their day a little easier… and I was proud to see that our upstairs was being taken full advantage of with 10 small children taking advantage of the free babysitting.
There were moms in the baby nursery feeding their babies… other parents changing diapers on the changing table… yet other parents in the parent’s room overlooking the sanctuary. And I thought to myself… “We’ve done it.” Then, I overheard a thirty something who had just dropped her kids off say, “I can’t believe they don’t have a pager system.” And I realized… Radical Hospitality is just that… RADICAL. And it goes beyond what you and I THINK to be Radical.
Radical Hospitality means creating an environment that does not put a single obstacle in your way when you come here wanting to experience an encounter with God. Radical Hospitality means going out of our way to make people feel like they are welcome, and that they are indeed invited to be a part of something amazing.
John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of his coming there to candidate for the position of pastor many years ago. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled together. They were singing some old slow funeral type song that was depressing. No one welcomed him. No one so much as talked to him. It was clear this group was closed. Later that day he took a walk in downtown Houston and came upon a jewelry store. It was some sort of grand opening and there were bright lights and a greeter at the door to welcome you in with a smile. Inside there was a celebration going on. There were refreshments and people having a good time talking and laughing with each other. They welcomed him and offered him some punch. He said that after attending both the church and the jewelry store, if the jewelry store had offered an invitation, he would have joined the jewelry store!
Radical Hospitality is simply the active desire to invite, to welcome, to receive, and to care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. It means we offer the absolute utmost of ourselves, our creativity, and our abilities to offer the gracious invitation and welcome of Christ to others.
“To become a vibrant, fruitful, growing congregation requires a change of attitudes, practices, and values. Good intentions are not enough. Too many churches want more young people as long as they act like old people, more newcomers as long as they act like old-timers. It takes practicing Radical Hospitality, and all the redirecting of energy and resources that comes with this. Churches can’t keep doing things the way they have always done them. Little changes have big effects.” (Cultivating Fruitfulness, Page 20 Day 1)
