“Entertaining Angels…and Other Strangers” -a sermon on hospitality
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Introduction:
We read in the Nativity story, “…there was no room for them at the inn.” Those are familiar words, but this is not a Christmas message. Life in the first century Roman Empire was far different from life today. Although inns existed, most people looked to private homes for hospitality.
Modern society has been labeled as impersonal and self-centered. With our abundance of hotels and motels, we’re less likely to bring people into our homes. When some people entertain, it is often for the purpose of personal gain, and not to share the love of God. For the most part, it seems we’ve taken their welcome mats inside.
In the dictionary, the word “hospitality” is wedged between “hospital”, a place of healing, and “hospice”, a place of shelter. The root of all 3 words is the Latin word translated “guests”. Our homes are meant to be places of shelter and healing, havens of rest. The Greek word for hospitality (philoxenia) in the New Testament means “a love of strangers”. In Bible days, strangers were synonymous with enemies. One way to destroy enemies is to kill them. Another way is to make them our friends. Hospitality does that.
This morning I’d like us to consider what the Bible says concerning hospitality. We’ll look first at Biblical instruction, then some Biblical examples, and then we’ll see how this relates to us today.
A. Biblical Instruction on Hospitality
Hospitality is a mark of discipleship. James points out (2:15-17), “Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, ‘Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well’ –but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.”
In his letter to the Romans, Paul directs us to “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (12:13).
We’ve read John’s commendation to the church; I’d like to repeat it, in a modern translation, The Message: “Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God Himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.” The apostles Jesus sent out to proclaim the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire depended on the hospitality of others. John is referring to the needs of these early church missionaries.
Jesus expresses His gratitude, saying, “I was a stranger and you took Me in” (Mt 25:35). He also encourages hospitality towards others, saying, “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of My followers, you will surely be rewarded” (Mt 10:42).
Peter urges believers to “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”. We should cheerfully open our homes to those in need. However, some people confuse hospitality with having a spotless home. We need to forsake pride and unrealistic standards when we have people over. To be truly hospitable, we need to show our true home…and make those visiting feel like they’re part of our family.
B. Biblical Examples of Hospitality
Hospitality is deeply rooted in the Scriptures. In Genesis 18, when Abraham saw three strangers approach his tents, he called for his wife and servants to prepare a meal for them, and watched over them as they rested in the shade of a tree.
Living in the desert, hospitality was a cultural necessity, with the understanding that the host might someday be a stranger in need. Believing in the providence of God, Abraham regarded these strangers as divinely sent. This was quite true, as they turned out to be angelic messengers from God. For his humble graciousness Abraham received a rich blessing. The author of Hebrews likely had Abraham in mind when he wrote that we should “show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it” (13:2).
Later on, Abraham sent a servant to search for a suitable wife for his son Isaac. When the servant arrived at the home of Rebeccah, he was cordially received into her home, and her family’s hospitality helped convince the servant that Rebeccah was God’s choice for Isaac’s bride.
In Bible times, it was customary for a host to wash the feet of a visitor; although usually this menial task was delegated to a servant. Christ modeled humility and hospitality by washing His disciples’ feet (John 13) and concluding His humble act of servanthood, He directed them to “wash one another’s feet”.
In order to understand what hospitality is and what it’s not, we need only look to Luke 10 and observe two women who welcomed Jesus into their home—Mary and Martha. Here we learn about priorities—it’s more important to be with people, to spend time with our guests, than to fuss and be frustrated about all the housekeeping details. We choose our priorities by how we invest our time. Many of the Marthas of this world are frustrated perfectionists, and this includes men—hospitality is not exclusively a feminine task. We can be discouraged from entertaining because our standards are more important than the love we could be showing to others. Martha was in bondage to her standards.
The point of hospitality is not the lavishness of the food or surroundings, but on the relationships we develop and the love we convey by involving ourselves with others. The food we serve is not the goal, but a means to the goal. True hospitality is not pretentious—it is bringing people into our homes as honorary members of our family.
Do we really know what it’s like to linger over a meal? This may be a lost art in our fast-paced culture, where eating has been reduced to a necessary function. Go to any fast- food place, and the atmosphere, even the uncomfortable chairs are intentionally designed to get people in and out in a hurry. My mother used to work in a restaurant called the “Eat It And Beat It”! We’ve gone from grazing to gulping! Some homes are like fast- food restaurants. Families rush through meals, and often do not even eat together, missing opportunities for closeness and communion.
C. Modern Examples of Hospitality
Now I’d like us to consider how to apply hospitality to our lives. We are our brother’s keeper. This means that when we have an opportunity to assist someone in need, we should consider it a divine appointment. Believing in God’s providence means that there are no accidents, only appointments!
One way of showing hospitality is by holding a home Bible study, or organizing a lunchtime study, prayer or fellowship time at work. This could be a group project, with one doing the logistics of setting up the activity, and another facilitating the activity.
Christian service projects provide ways of showing hospitality. These might include: volunteering to visit shut-ins, people in hospitals and nursing homes, working at the food pantry or a homeless shelter, preparing a meal for a neighbor who is bereaved or ill, welcoming newcomers to church and inviting them to our homes, helping out at a church dinner, or providing transportation for someone in need. God isn’t looking for any special ability, only our availability.
Hospitality extends to children. If our homes are too spotless, they may appear uninviting and uncomfortable. We need to welcome the friends of our children and to teach our kids to show hospitality. When we do this, our homes become sanctuaries.
Conclusion:
We learn hospitality from God, not Martha Stewart. Hospitality is an attitude of heart, a way of life, a form of grace. Have angels been to your home? For many years Dr. Frances Schaeffer and his wife Edith ran a house of Christian hospitality and study in Switzerland called L’Abri. They opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of people seeking Biblical answers to life’s challenges. In her book What is a Family? Edith offers this counsel: “Every Christian home is meant to have a door that swings open.”
Prayer: Lord, show us how we can befriend others. Make us channels of Your grace and instruments of Your love. Whether single or married, adult or young person, show us how we can demonstrate Christian hospitality. In the Name of Christ we pray, Who sacrificially gave of Himself fully, that we might have life. Amen.
