A mother invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn’t know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the mother answered. The little girl bowed her head and with sincerity in her voice said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
Genesis chapter 18 introduces us to a familiar story, that of God’s Judgment on Sodom and Gomorra, but there is quite a bit to learn before we get there. At a time when our fellowship is growing it can only be God’s timing that brings us to this passage tonight to look at and hopefully learn from the Hospitality of Abraham.
Hebrews 13:2 tells us "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Every Bible scholar faithful to the text sees this as a direct link back to Genesis 18. < Read Gen. 18:1-8 >
The eastern cultures still value hospitality as a primary virtue; and Abraham opened his home and set his table for three complete strangers because that was the right thing to do. I think, from Abraham’s actions though, we can learn what we at Fame Church need to do when visitors come to church.
Looking at this text, I see Abraham doing SIX things that we can do to show hospitality in church.
1. ABRAHAM MADE HIS GUESTS FEEL WELCOME. VV 2-3
Hospitality involves far more than a hello and a handshake, but it certainly does start there. Abraham set his guests above himself when he "Bowed himself to the earth" and urged them to remain. When he greeted his visitors, he made himself their servant. The very thing that Jesus wanted his followers to become is a servant to all others.
In making our guests here at Fame welcome, it takes more than simply welcoming them into the building and walking away, but extends to taking the servants attitude. To greet them, and to invite them in. To show them around and instructing them where the classrooms are for themselves or for their kids.
Not only did Abraham make his guests feel welcome...
2. HE REFRESHED THEM by washing their feet.
When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet John marked this as the full display of his love (John 13:1)! And he commanded the same of us. Now I know that some churches do this as a third ordinance together with Communion and Baptism; without getting into the discussion - I’m not against such a practice, but I’m not for it either; as long as the practice remains within the bounds of the church. I happen to believe when Jesus commanded us to wash one another’s feet, he had more in mind than basins and towels. He was concerned with servant hood and humility.
In our society if you asked church visitors to remove their shoes they would remove them without taking them off.... They’d remove them from the floor, and the foyer and the sidewalk, and they’d never bring them back!
I say that because in that country washing the feet was exceedingly refreshing. Shoes were only sandals, and your feet got dirty and hot, and to wash someone’s feet was to offer them a soothing opportunity to heal.
When people come into Fame are we offering them an opportunity to heal? One way to provide that is to ensure that the environment here is receptive, and inviting. Easy to get in, easy to get out.
3. The third thing Abraham did is, HE OFFERED THEM REST! V 4B
Abraham asked them to rest themselves under the tree. When visitor’s come into Fame, chances are good that, initially at least, they’ve come to be at rest from the battle front of the world. One reason people enter a church building is because they believe it is a sanctuary from the outside world. Do we not call this very room a sanctuary? That it is.
Life is hard, and when visitors come through those doors, it could be for any number of reasons, but at root all of those reasons will find comfort in knowing that there is rest here. Rest from the battles of the world. Freedom from office politics. Freedom from angry neighbors. Rest from temptation. Rest from the battlefields. Whatever the problem, we need to be sensitive to the needs of those who come through these doors, that we offer them rest and security.
Connected but distinct from that thought is number four...
4. HE GAVE THEM THE BEST SEAT. V4B.
Again, look at verse four. "Rest yourselves under the tree," Here it was the heat of the day (V1) high noon, and where exactly is the coolest place? Under the shade of the trees. That’s where there was room enough for company to relax. While there was only Abraham he sat at the tent entrance enjoying perhaps the breeze. But when guests came he moved so that they could have the better seat.
I’m not about to rail against our tendency towards assigned seats. I actually like it that way just a little. It helps me to know who’s missing each Sunday. But I really like the idea of leaving white ribbons on a couple of pews for baptisms, and I’m fond of the idea of members moving over so a visitor can get a better seat. It is, after all, a small "sacrifice" to make.
Having made them feel welcome, having refreshed them, and offering rest and a good seat, Abraham had cared for their immediate needs and he then began to prepare them for what would come next....
5. HE ENERGIZED THEM FOR THE ROAD AHEAD. VV 5-8 Pay attention to the phrase, "after that you may go on..." Abraham set out to ensure that they were fully prepared for the road in front of them by offering them a meal, and what a meal it was. No mere ham sandwich. This was a thanksgiving feast! Listen to what he prepares.
He prepared an extravagant feast: The Bread = 33 quarts of Flour! Nearly 56 pounds of Flour! Add a little oil, bake them on hot rocks in the form of pitta bread or like thick tortilla’s and you get the concept: That’s a lot of bread! Say what you will, your talking about more than 50 pounds of bread! On top of that he picked out a calf to slaughter and cook; and mind you, the Calf was "choice" He also furnished cheese curds and milk.
Abraham laid out for his guests a smorgasbord of food. And I would dare say that it’s not very likely that they ate all of that. Assume it’s a 50 pound calf, couple that with 50 pounds of bread and I’ve little doubt there was a comparable amount of curds and milk. Now, some commentators say that this shows that men were a whole lot heartier then, than they are now. Be that as it may, I find it difficult to believe that Abraham expected each of these three men to eat over 40 pounds of food in that meal! He was preparing them for the long haul. He was restocking their provisions.
Now, I’m not making the case for a weekly potluck it’s much better than that. It’s not a large jump to look at the differing scriptures that call God’ word food and to make the statement that the best thing we can do is to ensure that our guests in this church get more than a light snack, but they get a meal they can chew on.
In large part, that’s my job, the preaching and systematic teaching of God’s word. I do my best not to prepare "ham sandwich sermons" that leave you hungry an hour after you leave. I try to include enough readily digestible tidbits and enough hearty meat to ensure that you get a good meal. I think it’s also the job of our Sunday School teachers to do the same.
When a guest comes into our church, we need to ensure that they are welcomed, refreshed, rested, comfortable, and that they’re given what they need to face the week ahead. And truthfully, that can only be done if we take the time to get to know them.
And Finally,
6. ABRAHAM STOOD READY & WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THEM. (V8C)
Abraham took the attitude of a servant. He saw it as his personal responsibility to see that all needs were met.
That’s how we need to treat visitors when they come into Fame. Each guest is a guest of honor. We don’t want to flock over them in such awesome numbers that we threaten to overwhelm them, but certainly we need to make certain that each visitor is given proper hospitality. And that can only happen if we go back to verse 2a.
7. HE SAW THEM AS THEY CAME. V2a Note carefully that in verse one Abraham is sitting there, but he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tend door to met them. So I put this Seventh one last, even though by order it’s first for a very special reason. It needed special attention; just like our guests.
I’ve heard the comment from several people in the last three years. We all have our natural tendencies. We like to greet people when they first visit, but then we begin to back off. For some of us it’s because we genuinely feel as if one greeting is enough - but I don’t think it is. Let’s make sure that at least those of us here extend full service hospitality to every person that walks through those doors; whether they’ve been here for 10 years, or 10 minutes.
When a guest comes into our church, we need to ensure that they are welcomed, refreshed, rested, comfortable, and given what they need to face the week ahead, we need to stand ready to serve and we need to be looking for them to come in.
