The Chimes - June and July

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THE THEOLOGY OF HOSPITALITY 4 JOHN STEPHENS SENIOR PASTOR 1 Peter 4:9-10 says, "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully, administering God’s grace in its various forms." Hospitality is one of the largest themes in scripture. It is more than just a social thing; it is a theological issue. Christian hospitality refers to the active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. Hospitality has an outward focus and is motivated by a love that compels us to be open and adaptable. Hospitality does several things: it practices the gracious love of Christ, respects the dignity of others, and expresses God’s invitation to others (not our own invitation toward others). At every church I’ve served, I started with neighborhood chats. When I visited people’s homes, they met me at the door and did everything within their power to care for me and make me at ease. As they welcomed me, they practiced Christ’s words from Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” This is what we are called to do in our church! When we practice hospitality, we invite others to become a part of God’s invitation to new life. In the Old Testament, hospitality was central. For the Israelites, welcoming the stranger was central to their identity because, as God reminded them in Deuteronomy 10:19, “You were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Theologically speaking, the purpose of hospitality was to prepare a welcoming space for encounters with God’s word. In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah welcome several men into their camp who are passing by. They show hospitality by offering food, water, comfort, and rest. We find out the strangers are indeed God and his angels. The hospitality that Abraham offers sets the table for the Word of God to be shared: “Abraham, you will have a son.” It’s not that God’s word cannot be heard in barren or inhospitable places and circumstances. God is not so limited, but we are. God can speak in any situation, but we cannot always hear. The Bible witnesses to the struggle of the Hebrews in the wilderness where they were so preoccupied with the lack of worldly comforts that they constantly complained against God and Moses. To keep their attention, to keep them moving, to keep them faithful, God often prepared dinners of manna and quail. Only then, when fed, could they hear the word. So it is with us. Let’s be honest. We draw boundaries. We say, “I don’t like greeting people.” “I don’t like meeting people.” “It makes me feel uncomfortable.” “I don’t want to embarrass myself introducing myself to a person who’s been a long time member.” I understand that more than you know. As a pastor, I have to be ON . . . ALL the time. I used to see it as a burden, but I don’t anymore. However, there are more than a few Sundays a year when I don’t really want to come to church and be cheery, open, greeting, and invitational. A preacher is a person too. I draw boundaries around me just like everyone else. There are days when I walk in and pray, “Lord, you’re going to have to help me today. I’m not in a people mood!” We all draw boundaries around ourselves. The disciples did it. They were always drawing boundaries and distinctions that tried to keep people a distance from Jesus. Whether it was the children in Matthew’s gospel or the woman at the well in John’s gospel, they didn’t really think those people needed to be around Jesus bothering him. But, in every instance where the disciples put up barriers, Jesus pushed through the boundaries and invited people in. When Jesus tried to sneak away from the crowds for a little quiet time, they tracked him down. What did he do? Not what I would have done. He had compassion on them, healed their sick, and then fed all 5,000 plus of them. Hospitality compels us to see people as Jesus does. Hospitality also calls us to see Jesus in the people God brings before us. Hospitality sets the table for God’s word to be heard. That is why true welcoming is more interested in the needs of the guest than the preferences of the host. That’s why we think more about visitors’ needs in the church than about members’ comforts. Members may say, “Well, I pay the bills, visitors don’t! What about me?” My response, “What are we . . . the Church or a country club?” Let’s answer that question honestly first, then talk about whose needs we focus on. A theology of hospitality calls us to create a welcome environment where the word of God is more easily heard and understood. It also compels us to be attentive to what people need so that their eyes, ears, hearts, and minds are open to the Spirit of God.
* * * How is our hospitality? How are we setting the table for the strangers in our midst? Are we setting the table for God’s word to be shared? When we see someone we don’t know, do we introduce ourselves? When we see someone looking for a seat, do we give up our pew? When someone is seated in “our pew,” do we smile and welcome them? Are you willing to serve as a greeter to help people feel welcome? Remember, hospitality is not about what we want or don’t want . . . it is about helping God set the table so people can hear and be transformed by God’s Word! John Stephens SURFING WITH THE SPIRIT IN WORSHIP A few years ago I got my first chance to visit the beaches of the Pacific Ocean in California. I was staying in Dana Point, a very popular area for surfing. As I walked toward the beach I saw the beginnings of the Pacific, and it was gorgeously blue. Then I saw the breaking surf. It was an incredible break from right to left that lasted for what seemed like forever. The surfers were lined up, and with each incoming wave a few would jump on and start their ride. It was beautiful to watch. As the wave broke behind them it rose and curled in front of them. Many of the surfers simply stood and glided across the wave top. Some of them on shorter boards cut into the wave more aggressively. However, the wave seemed to be asking them to slow down and enjoy the view. I watched surfer after surfer for over an hour ride this amazing series of waves. As I sat and watched this amazing water ballet, I was reminded of how the Spirit is often present in our worship. The Spirit rises up among the people, and we are lifted into the presence of God. Our praises ride upon this spiritual presence, and we are moved from one action to the next according to the will of God. While some may want to be more aggressive, almost trying to shape worship for their own desires, the Spirit usually seems to be inviting us to rest in the Lord and journey in His presence for a while. But what do the surfers know about surfing that many Christians don’t seem to understand about worship? Watch surfers and see where they are looking. They are looking out at the source of the wave. Even when the water is flat, they wait expectantly, knowing there will be a wave coming, and they want to be ready to ride when it does. How many times do we enter into worship not really looking for the presence of God? Nor are we ready when the Spirit invites us to experience God in a personal way. If we are coming to worship with a desire to meet with God, shouldn’t we be looking for that moment when God speaks to us and says, “Loved one, I am here?” How much different would our worship be if we were like those surfers in worship? I know I arrive at every worship service wondering how God will make Himself known, and I am waiting for that moment so that I will be able to meet with Him. Jesus said that God inhabits the praise of his people. We should always worship as if that is true, waiting on God to be made known and then to worship for the glory of God. Craig Gilbert Ministry Director, Worship and Music Ministries 5
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