HOSPITALITY
Matthew 10:= 40-42; I Peter 4:7-11
July 6, 200= 8 – Rev. Jerry Duggins
(This sermon was orig=
inally
presented in a conversation format.)
The gospel is about welcome, but a kind of welcome tha= t goes beyond “hello.”
Think about what kinds of places you have been welcome= d to as a guest; what kinds of welcome have you received?
What special things do you do when you host a gatherin= g of guests in your home?
Consider the difference between being a visitor and be= ing a guest
Visitors sometimes pay for the privilege of seeing an exhibit,
Guests are often (though not always) welcome without financial obligation
Consider the difference between being a host and being= a greeter…
Hosts take responsibility for the quality of the exper= ience
Greeters merely welcome leaving the visitors to fend f= or themselves
Changing our language only makes a difference when we internalize the distinctions. . When I do more than say just hello, when I care about tenting to your needs/wishes
Being a guest for the gospel means receiving from Chri= st the love we need to remove the obstacles to faith,
it means fostering an openn= ess to the presence of God.
It means seeing with the eyes of faith (this is God= 217;s world. What might God want me to do?...)
Being a host of the gospel means paying attention to t= he details of people’s lives.
It means sensitivity to the needs and desires of other= s.
It means developing a maturity in faith that becomes a= ware of the relevance of faith for the needs people face.
It means learning the tools of hospitality
At the Lord’s table w= e come as a guest, but before long we become “members of the body of Christ”: Hosts for other guests around the table.
Here Jesus is our host… what does that mean? How= does he make us welcome at the table?
But we are more than guests. We are members of the “family”. As members we become responsible for bringing guests = to the table. How might we ̵= 1; how might you – take up that call?