Hotels and Hospitality. Genesis 18: 1-8

I first want to begin by saying that I have really missed preaching here. I am so thankful and excited for the wonderful preachers that you had over these past four weeks, and after hearing them I realize that I should really work on my preaching because now you have gotten used to a certain standard after hearing them, and I shouldn’t let you down!



But I have missed preaching. Not everyone gets the wonderful privilege that I do to seek out and tell a word from God to God’s people. And I am so thankful that you are my church, and that you allow me to do such a thing.

So, back to it!



After Elizabeth Grace was born, life was a whirlwind. Juggling a baby and a 20 month old as well as all of the emotions surrounding the birth, and the tornados that came through, are enough. But after the dust had settled a little bit, and we got into some semblance of a routine and getting back into working, I began to think about our church, and what directions we are taking. Taking a step back, to see what the big picture was.



And as you tend to do with a newborn, you stay up all night. And, as I am tend to do, I flip through channels. Well, I don’t know how many of you have seen late night TV lately, but there are A LOT of religious channels. And I kind of like to keep my ear out with these, see how other churches do things and hear what people are saying and what other people are hearing, hoping that I might be able to more fully understand the church, and what is happening in it.



And in many of the sermons and Bible studies that I saw in those late night sessions, There wasn’t a tremendous amount of joy and excitement in what they were saying. And also, it was all about accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior. If you accept Jesus Christ, then all the world’s problems will go away. And in many of these late night religious shows, if you accept Jesus Christ, you will receive a monetary blessing.



But I think its more than that. It is about receiving Jesus Christ. Not accepting. There is a difference. Accepting is a passive action. Accepting is saying, okay. But to receive. That is a much higher calling. Because when you receive Jesus Christ, you have to make room in your heart. And make room in your life. And get things ready. Because whenever we receive a guest into our home, we cook, we clean, we wash sheets, make room arrangements, everything we can.



And in my late night wonderings once I thought about this distinction, I wondered, how can our church best receive Christ? And I think the answer is by receiving others. It is the answer that Abraham stumbled upon, receive those who come into your life, because you are then receiving Christ. And the focus of how to do this is how well we practice hospitality.



When I was in high school I was privileged to take a trip to the Middle East. My dad put together trips to the Holy Land, and he brought me along. It was a great trip, and we toured Israel for the first part of the tour. I have some great pictures and stories from that trip. But then we headed onto the bus and traveled to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, and the water is so salty that nothing can live near there, and is undrinkable. However, it is a lot of fun to visit because no matter what you do while you are in the water, you cannot sink.



Its true. I jumped in a bobbed back to the surface. I was able to reenact that scene from Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise suspended by wires while skimming along the surface of the water. I became that buoyant.



And, the saltiness of the water has led to that location being known for its spas. They take the minerals found in the dead sea and make it a relaxing place to visit with salt scrubs and massages and everything else. They have even transferred some of the water to an indoor pool that draws toxins out of your body as you swim in it. And everyone in our group brought home soaps and oils made from the dead sea.

From there, we traveled through the desert to the border of Israel to Egypt. And before we crossed the border we stayed at a resort area on the Mediterranean. And the food was wonderful, the music was wonderful. There were artists and street performers all around. And anything we wanted, was provided, for a price.



We were able in those two nights to be able to enjoy the hospitality industry.



But that doesn’t compare to the hospitality we were given on the night and day in between those stays. While traveling through the desert, we came upon a Bedouin family. And we stopped. They invited us into their tent, made of goat hair. And we sat on the ground, but they put blankets down, and the woman in the family baked bread for us while we were there, and gave us water to drink. It was an amazing display of hospitality that I will never forget. Because while the night before and the night after we were in plush accommodations with wonderful food and everything else. The hospitality industry could not hold a candle to the hospitality we were shown by this family. Who couldn’t afford much, but gave to us.



Our scripture today kicks off the start of a group of sermons that I will be doing on one subject because I think it is important for our church to explore; hospitality.



The practice of hospitality is something that is very near and dear to my heart. Because without the hospitality of others, I would not be able to survive in this world. So many people brag about how they built their life on their own, with no help from anybody. And when I hear that I usually think two things. First, they are kidding themselves, because no one exists apart from other people. There are always people outside of us who affect our lives in ways we might not even be able to perceive, but it is there.



And secondly, I feel tremendously sad for them. Because receiving hospitality is one of the most wonderful experiences in the world. And…God asks us to receive his hospitality all the time, and we run into trouble when we think things are ours, rather than gifts of our heavenly host.



There are traditions from all over the world about the importance of hospitality, and we live in a culture that is defined by Southern Hospitality. So, it really should be something we pay more attention to in our own lives, and in the life of our church. And I’m talking about going beyond good signs, clear directions, and friendly greeting. Though all of those things are important, and are things we should do. Hospitality goes deeper than that, and we are called to practice hospitality to all that we meet.



Abraham was just sitting in his tent by the oaks of Mamre. And three men approached. And Abraham begged to be allowed to care for them.



How many of us do that today? Practice that much hospitality?



And because of his loyalty to a deeply rooted biblical call to care for the stranger, Abraham and Sarah were promised a son. The beginnings of the nation of Israel.



Hospitality is the basis of the hospitality industry, such as hotels and restaurants, as well as the word hospital.

In the middle ages, the monasteries were the hospitals. Because in the rule of St. Benedict, he states that receiving guests is one of the main ways that we receive and welcome Christ. So it wasn’t just because the monks had access to the best medicine, and would also pray for their patients. But any traveler who needed a place to stay could go to the doors of a monastery, and they would be received. They would be given a place to sleep, and food to eat, even if the monks had very little themselves.



And, in order to sort of quarantine the sick guests that would come, the monks would section off part of the monastery as the hospital. The place where they would be shown hospitality. And, where other travelers stayed would be the hostel, also, where they would be shown hospitality.



Eventually, these buildings separated from the original buildings of the monastery, and some gained specific skills to manage a hostel or treat patients. And on down through the years, hospitals and hotels were born…the hospitality industry.

So what was started by Benedictine monks became an entire industry. And the practice of hospitality was given over to the industry as well. So much so that where once people relied on one another for hospitality; a place to stay, and a meal to eat, that responsibility was relinquished and people were told they could get it elsewhere, as long as they paid for it.



But I think the practice of hospitality needs to make a comeback. Especially in our churches. So many churches, in their practice of hospitality, mistakenly think that should mean that they add amenities.



I remember when I was shopping for my apartment in Atlanta, the amenities that they offered were very important. Did they offer a security gate, recycling, a gym, a pool? And the more amenities you have, the better it was, and the more you had to pay for it.



And churches began to follow this model. They would build Disneyland type worlds for children. Climbing walls for youth. Gyms for church members. Concert halls, and stages. Schools. And they would call it, hospitality.



But, like in the monasteries losing their hospitality to the hospitality industry, calling church amenities the practice of hospitality still falls short of the mark of the true practice of hospitality.



And so our first step in trying to figure out God’s hospitality is to know when we felt it? Who helped receive you into this church? Was it a pastor, or a friend? What did they do to receive you? I’m guessing they got to know you. Took an interest in your life. Looked out for your children. Called you when you were sick. Introduced you to others. And helped guide you in things that might not have been so familiar to you.



We still have people in this community and in this county and in this world that need to be received like that. God is not done with us yet, and is not done with them yet. And we are able to receive Christ once again every day by receiving others.



By welcoming them into this church and telling them the one message that is no secret but seems to be kept from too many in this world. That all of us are valid. All of us are loved by God. We matter, because Jesus loves us.



We all have been received here. Lets reach out, and receive others. Because sometimes, I think we get the order wrong. We think, once someone believes in God, then we will receive them. But what if it was someone came to know what a life-giving relationship with Christ is, because they were received first?



We should practice doing that. So in these next few weeks, we will learn about the hospitality God shows to us, the hospitality we should practice towards God, and the hospitality we should practice for others.



Do you all have family blessings? My parents always had one, and we still say it from time to time.



Well, I have been looking for a family blessing to use with our family. Georgia is beginning to be at a point to say a blessing before meals.



And I came across one from Scotland, and I think it is appropriate for us learning how to practice hospitality. It goes.



Bless, O Lord, this food we are about to eat; and we pray you, O God, that is may be good for our body and soul; and, if there is any poor creature walking the road, may God send them in to us, so that we can share this food with them, just as Christ shares his gifts with all of us. Amen.



That is going to be my prayer for this church. And in these next few weeks, we are going to learn how God shows hospitality to us, and instructs us to do the same. And we are going to learn how this church can practice hospitality in our own lives, so that we might learn the true value of receiving others into our life, and thus receive Christ.