Practical Exercise during worship: After singing have congregation greet at least two people they do not know, or have not greeted in a long time (hint: encourage them to get out of their pews if they have to). Give extra time for this.
Last week our focus was on how we can live out the second of the Great Commandments, to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Our particular focus was on demonstrating love to those who are not yet Christian or who may be Christian but are unchurched, they are not connected to Christ’s body the church. We discovered that one of the ways Jesus demonstrated love was by serving, he healed those who were sick, he cast out demons, he spent time with those whom society deemed untouchable: lepers, tax collectors & sinners, he washed his disciple’s feet, and he made the ultimate act of a servant by giving his life so that we can have eternal life. I challenged us to demonstrate God’s love like Jesus by serving our unchurched neighbor, by doing an act of kindness for them. Refuse to accept anything in return, money or otherwise, just do it as a free gift of love. If they ask why you did it, make sure to connect what you did with God, tell them you are doing it just because God loves them. One thing I forgot to tell you last week is to pray for them while you are serving. Pray they receive Jesus Christ, and/or that they get connected to God’s family, the church. I call this pre-evangelism, it is tilling the ground before the seed of God’s word about salvation is shared with someone. If you have not yet accomplished an act of kindness this past week, I encourage you to do so this week. If you were truly blessed, I would also appreciate it if you share your stories with me by writing me a note or an email.
This morning we continue with the theme “love your neighbor as yourself,” only this week we change the focus slightly to demonstrating God’s love in our home and church by the way we welcome visitors, guests, newcomers, or strangers (whatever word we choose to use). Welcoming others in love is what the Bible calls hospitality. The dictionary defines hospitality as:
“The friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers,” or “receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.”
But as Christians hospitality is more than being friendly to guests, it is an extension of our love and care for people. As Christians we are expected to demonstrate God’s love through hospitality, the Bible says: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it (Heb. 13:2, NRSV).”
In our story this morning we learn from Abraham how we should demonstrate hospitality to stranger or guests. One hot day, Abraham had some unexpected guests show up at his doorstep. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing nearby. The Bible tells us these men were not ordinary men, unbeknownst to Abraham these three men were not men at all but the Lord himself with two angels by his side, they disguised their true identity and appeared as three ordinary men passing by.
Three Biblical Approaches to Hospitality
1. Take the Initiative: Go To Them
What was Abraham’s response, How did Abraham offer hospitality? Let’s look at the text, in verse 2 it says: “When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them.”
The first thing Abraham did was take the initiative by going to them. He ran out to meet these men, he didn’t wait for them to come to him. Abraham could have sat in his tent and thought, “if they really need my help they’ll come over here,” or “perhaps if I sit here and wait they will move on to the next encampment. After all it’s still the middle of the day, they can get to where they are going by sundown.” That is not what Abraham did, he took the initiative, and went to them. In fact it says, he even hurried to greet them. The Biblical model for demonstrating love is for us to take the initiative, not to wait for them to make the first move. When God wanted to demonstrate his love for us, he took the initiative and sent his Son to earth. God always takes the initiative in demonstrating his love for us, even before we are aware of it. That is why we talked about evangelism, and making the effort to go to our neighbor and do something to demonstrate God’s love.
But what would it look like for us to take the initiative when it comes to the church? How might this look in the church if we made the effort to welcome a guest when they arrive at our church?
In one very large church Methodist church Amy and I attended in Lexington, KY as we pulled into our “visitor” parking space, which was close to the entrance (of course one of the reasons they needed these was so no one got lost on their campus) we were met by parking lot greeters who would come right to our car to welcome us and point us in the right direction. If it was raining outside they would take big golf umbrellas and help visitors, elderly, and handicapped into the building. Once we were inside the church there were a second set of greeters to welcome us and direct us to where we needed to go. If you were visiting that church wouldn’t it send a message that they cared about you?
While we didn’t have people going out into the parking lot this morning, you may have noticed that today we posted two people at the doors into the church to welcome all of us with a friendly face and a handshake. We tried to make the extra effort of greeting to share the love of Jesus Christ.
Even secular businesses like Wal-Mart understand the concept of hospitality, which is why they have people greet you as you come in their store. In fact Sam Walton always had someone to greet people with a friendly smile coming into his stores. His pledge with every “associate” was,
“From this day forward, every customer who comes within ten feet of me, regardless of what I am doing in this place, I am going to look him in the eye. I am going to smile. I am going to greet him with a ‘Good morning,’ or a ‘Good afternoon,’ or a ‘What can I do for you?’
Now whether you like Wal-Mart or not, it has more stores than any other chain in the country, and perhaps part of it is due to this principle of hospitality, how much more should we practice it as Christians both in the church, and in our own homes?
Hospitality isn’t just for one or two greeters in the church, we are all called as Christians to demonstrate hospitality. The Apostle Peter, writing to a group of Christians wrote:
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Pet. 4:8-9)."
This morning you may have noticed that we did something a little differently during our greeting time. We had you intentional seek out people, either visitors or folks you haven’t greeted in a while if ever. Our greeting time is an extension of friendship, care, and hospitality to one another. This morning I wanted to get you to take the initiative and go to others, even if it means getting out of our seats to do it. Part of taking the initiative means going to newcomers and offering a handshake. They have taken the scary step of coming to church, it is our responsibility to welcome them in the love and friendship of Christ. You can be prepared for next week when we will do this again.
2. Take the role of a servant and treat all persons with dignity and respect
What did Abraham do next? Let’s look at the next passage it says:
"[Abraham] bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by."
Once Abraham reached them, he bowed low before them, and called himself their servant. In a Middle Eastern culture, Abraham was treating these guests with honor and respect by placing himself in the role as servant (even if he was a wealthy man), he humbled himself before these strangers. Abraham treated them as important because he saw them through God’s eyes. Abraham encouraged them to stay awhile, get a drink of water on a hot blistering day, and to stick around, relax in the shade, and wait for a bite to eat before hitting the road again.
I believe this is a Christian understanding of hospitality. Treating every person who comes through that door, whether Christian, or not, whether wealthy or poor, no matter what their social status, or ethnic background, we treat them as someone truly special, someone to be honored. One way I’ve heard it said is to put a 10 on everyone’s heads. As the Bible tells us, we treat them as though they are an angel in our midst, or as Jesus told in a parable we should treat each person as though they were Jesus himself. Because Jesus identifies himself with the least.
NIV Matthew 25:37 ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 "The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Whenever we do it for the least of these, we do it for Jesus. If we would treat Jesus this way, we should do it for any person. How would it look if we welcomed every person who comes through the door of our home, or the church as though they were Jesus himself? How do our actions and our words reflect our honor and respect for them? How do we attempt to serve them like Abraham did his guests?
Illustration: I was impressed by the simple act demonstrated to Evelyn and Emil, as they traveled through Canada, stopping at a church for Sunday service and a family in the church invited them to their house for dinner. These people knew they were just passing through, not going to stay, and yet they served them.
3. Give Your Best
Verse 6 begins:
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine 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.
After Abraham convinced these three men to stay by offering them a shady place to sit down, water to wash their dusty feet, and get them something to eat for their journey. Abraham went back to his tent and told Sarah to get three seah’s of flour to bake some bread. If you look in the margin of your Bible or at the bottom, it tells us three seah’s is approximately 15-20 quarts of flour. Twenty quarts, four or five gallons of flour baked into bread for only three guests. I’m not a baker, about all I can do is throw the ingredients for making bread into our bread machine, but I’m thinking five gallons of flour is a lot of bread for three guests. If that wasn’t enough Abraham went and hand picked a calf out of his flock and arranged for it to be prepared by his servants for these strangers. It tells us this wasn’t just any calf, but a “choice, tender” calf. Abraham had veal prepared for these guests. Back then, calf was a rare treat, even more than it is for us today, in fact meat in general was not a part of their regular diet. Meat was saved for special occasions, such as religious feasts celebrating what God had done. Not only did Abraham and Sarah feed these visitors, but they provided them with both an abundance of food, and the best food he had. The third principle we learn is that Abraham (and Sarah) gave their best.
Abraham gave the most and the best of what he had. How different from our own American culture, where we selfishly think, what’s the minimum I can do to get by? Abraham was thinking exactly the opposite, what can I do to show them the extravagance of God’s love. How can I bless them?
Illustration of the Weiss’ and the maple syrup they gave me the first time I visited them. I know how much work goes into making a quart of maple syrup, to me that is offering the best.
What are ways we can demonstrate love by giving our best to others?
i. Giving up the best parking spots
I believe it begins when people first arrive at the church. It begins in the parking lot.
Perhaps you have noticed we have visitor parking spaces just to the side of the handicapped. This was an intentional effort to demonstrate hospitality, God’s love, to visitors by allowing them to have the best parking spots, particularly guests and elderly or handicapped, and I challenge you to sacrificially do the same. Churches that understand this self-sacrificing principle put visitor parking spots closest to the door, to treat their guests as Abraham did.
ii. Giving up our seats
I know some of you have been sitting in the same seat for thirty-five years now, your name is probably written on it somewhere, but offering our best may mean offering our seat to a guest. Hopefully your favorite hymn is not “I Shall Not Be Moved,” but that is not the attitude of some willing to demonstrate God’s love.
Each Sunday morning we are communicating a message to newcomers whether you intend to or not, the question is how can we individually and as a church send a message to every person who walks through the door that God loves them, and cares for them, and so do we.
Next week is the test, it is going to be “bring a friend Sunday” and we are going to see how good you are at demonstrating hospitality, welcoming our guests with love and care. We are encouraging you to bring a friend so they can hear a message on “Getting Connected.” I will encourage all of us on that day to get connected to God, and to God’s family, the church. I encourage you to begin praying for at least one unchurched person(s) to invite on that day, whether it is a neighbor, a coworker, or a family member.
