Hospitality in the House of God Lesson 1
Hospitality: A Primary Value for God's People
Text: Genesis 18:1-15
How
do visitors feel when they visit your church for the first time? Before
you answer that think about a time when you visited another church, or
some other gathering of people where you were the stranger.
Perhaps you didn't know where to stand, what to say, whom to look for;
people may have been moving all around you, probably for the most part
ignoring you. In my role as minister of evangelism, I have often
visited churches unannounced. I purposely stand in the middle of the
lobby to see what kind of welcome I'll receive. In most cases I'm
disappointed. Often not one single person comes up to me, introduces
himself or herself, and welcomes me to the house of God. This has
happened in churches that are of different denominations, large and
small, urban and rural, and in every geographical area of the country.
One
notable exception was a downtown church in Phoenix, Arizona. When my
wife and I walked through the door we were perplexed as to exactly
which way to go for worship. An alert man standing near the door
immediately came up to us, welcomed us, identified himself, and said:
"Can I help you with some directions?" While carrying on a friendly
conversation he took us through some hallways to the place where the
service was about to begin and even ushered us to a seat. This
experience stands out for me because it was such a departure from the
indifference that I encounter more frequently. That should not be the
case in the house of God.
Of course, all churches think of
themselves as "a friendly church." And they are friendly to each other
because, to a greater or lesser extent, they are an extended family.
Families are busy. Families have things to do, good things. And when
everyone is together it is time to talk to each other about family
things. But what about the newcomer? What about the person no one
knows? What about the alien, the foreigner, the visitor? What about
hospitality in the church of God? How important is it to God, to
others, even to our own community of faith?
Over the next
thirteen weeks we will be exploring this vital subject throughout both
the Old and New Testaments of Scripture. Beginning today with Genesis,
we will look at books of the law (Torah) like Leviticus, books that are
the source of much of what Jesus quoted from the Bible. We'll look at
what the wisdom literature and the prophets say about hospitality, too.
Finally, we'll examine the subject of hospitality through New Testament
readings, including some that show the perspectives of Jesus and of
apostles Paul, Peter, and John.
Today's passage teaches us
that a primary value for God is the hospitable attitude of his people
toward others who are not one of them. Here in the details of the daily
life of one of God's chosen people, Abraham, we are being taught what
God expects in terms of hospitality. This is not an isolated story, but
one of many illustrations throughout Scripture of a characteristic
value God requires of his people. We find hospitality referred to
frequently in the law, e.g., in Leviticus 19:33:
When
an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien
living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as
yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Other
passages from the law that require similar behavior include Leviticus
24:22, Exodus 22:21, 23:9, and Deuteronomy 10:18, 19, 26:12, and 27:19.
Today
we begin our study with chapter 18 of the first book of the Bible,
Genesis. Abraham is sitting in the heat of the day at the entrance of
his tent, hoping to feel a gentle breeze to soften the heat of the
desert sun. Three strangers appear, and immediately Abraham welcomes
them and prepares a meal for them so they can be refreshed.
He
said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your
servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash
your feet and rest under this tree. 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.
This is partly the behavior of
Bedouins who know the importance of hospitality in the middle of a long
journey across a wilderness. But it is also the natural reaction of a
man who is aware of the graciousness and hospitality of his God, and
his need to reflect that spirit in his own life. He has learned to
treat others the way he would have others treat him. And so within
moments bread is baking and the fatted calf is being roasted, and the
strangers are soon refreshed and strengthened for their journey.
Then
the surprise: these strangers then bring the Word of God to their host
and hostess. One of them tells Abraham that the next time he passes by,
a year from now, Sarah will be pregnant. The "word of the Lord" came
through the strangers who appeared at the home of one of God's people.
We can't help but wonder what would have happened if Abraham would have
given them the cold shoulder, been indifferent to their needs, and
simply pointed them toward Sodom. Centuries later the writer of Hebrews
put it this way:
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).
When
has the Lord come to us in the presence of strangers, passers-by,
sojourners, and visitors? Did we go "out of our way" to welcome them?
Did God speak to us through them? Did we find good news by welcoming
someone with whom we were strangers? Or did we miss it because we were
preoccupied with our own concerns, good though they may indeed have
been?
It is very clear that in God's eyes the way the faith
community treats people (especially those who are strangers) is
extremely important to him. In fact, it is clear from Scripture that
hospitality is a moral obligation and an expression of gratitude for
God's graciousness in accepting us. God may indeed use opportunities of
hospitality to speak to us. What would God think if he visited our
church? What does God think when he does visit our church in
the presence of someone we don't know, or someone who is different than
we are: strangers, sojourners, refugees, and visitors?
A
church in California has realized the importance welcoming strangers so
much that they have provided a place at the end of their worship
service to actually fulfill God's commandment through what is called
"The Five-Minute Rule." For the first five minutes after the
benediction no church business is allowed to take place. Instead,
everyone is asked to seek out someone they don't know, or haven't
spoken with for some time, and visit with him or her in the gracious
spirit of Christian hospitality. Is this not in the spirit of Abraham,
and the teaching of the law?
Questions:
- Describe a situation in which you were the stranger. Was it a good or bad experience for you? Why?
- Who are the strangers in your church's neighborhood? Who is welcome and who is not in our community of faith?
- How could you and your church show strangers hospitality? Can you name three specific suggestions?
- Think
of ways in which you and your family can make newcomers feel welcome
when they visit your home, your church, your community.
- When has God used a stranger to bring a "Word from the Lord" to you?
- Have you ever been the stranger to a faith community and brought a word of good news to them? Describe the experience
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