The Art of Giving Hospitality (Luke 14:12-14)

The Art of Giving: We Love Aliens!
Luke 14:12-14

INTRODUCTION:
Star Trek - the original - was a favorite TV show for my older brother and me. It came on Saturdays, I believe, at 11 AM. Mom did not always wait until Star Trek was over when she began preparing lunch. All the children took turns helping cook and setting the table for lunch and Mom would allow us to go set the table or cut up french fries during the commercial breaks and then go back and keep watching Star Trek.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was my favorite, though. It was on-air while I was in college and my blind room-mate and I watched it every Saturday evening.

Man landed on the moon in 1969 and our imagination about life forms in outer space took off. Gene Roddenberry had created Star Trek in 1964 and it came to television in 1966. An idea was planted in a another young man’s mind two years after man landed on the moon but it would take another ten years after Star Trek before George Lucas would have the draft of Star Wars ready to start making his blockbuster movie series, which came to the big screen in 1977.

Xenobiology is the study of alien life forms, new life forms, even man-made life forms, if we can ever accomplish such. Xenophobia is the fear of aliens. Xenophilia is the love or affection for aliens. “Xenos” is the Greek word for alien or, perhaps more clearly understood, strangers.

We live in an age of isolation. Our houses are islands where we Americans frantically emerge to shop, conduct business, and work. Then, we impatiently return home. More and more Americans are even by-passing the social interaction at the grocery store and buying groceries from home. We read material that reflects our own views and we have developed an inability to listen to opposing opinions.

We live in an age where it is easy not to know our neighbors or anyone else outside our family and closest colleagues at work. Most of my neighbors - and Rachel and I live in a community with 50 houses in it - are rarely seen. In the summer, sometimes I see them mowing their yards. We see some out walking in the summer. But from our back deck, I can look over into about 5 different yards and rarely see my neighbors outside.

The church exists as a counter-culture to the prevailing mood. In our society, we can be brutally individualistic but followers of Jesus should cut across the grain and be the community that Jesus wants us to be - not just in hard times but all the time. Not just when we have a death in the family. Not just when we have an illness, when we have a job loss.

In an ocean full of little islands of families, we should open our homes and our hearts to other families. There are so many people who need to connect.

Paul words it this way when he writes in Galatians 6:10: “while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

BENEFITS TO “LOVING STRANGERS:”
There many benefits to showing hospitality to strangers. We develop friendships, perhaps even create new ones. We provide opportunities to teach our children to be polite, to share, to meet people. We enrich our children’s lives when we bring them into contact with other peoples with different backgrounds than ours. We gives us an opportunity to give (Acts 20:35; Luke 6:38). It allows us to serve others and we are never more like Jesus than when we share what we have (Eph. 2:10). We also provide God an opportunity to share more of His wealth with us (Mal. 3:10).

Marshall Keeble was a black gospel preacher (1878-1968). It was not easy to be a gospel preacher, financially speaking, in those days but it was especially challenging to be a black gospel preacher. A. M. Burton was a wealthy member of the church who established the American Life and Casualty Insurance Company in Nashville, TN and brother Burton often used his wealth to help fellow Christians and Christian universities. He helped Faulkner University and Lipscomb University at different times. Once, brother Keeble was visiting with brother Burton and Keeble commented that Burton just kept “scooping out” to others and bother Buron replied, “Yes, but the Lord just has a bigger scoop.”

Which illustrates another blessing of practicing hospitality - it gives us a good name, a good reputation (Prov. 22:1). Trust is built on reputation and reputation is built on trust; both of which are strengthened by hospitality.

DEFINING HOSPITALITY:
As I mentioned, the Hebrew writer tells us in Hebrews 13:2 that we should “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Hospitality does not have anything to do with silverware or matching towels. Hospitality is kindness. It is warm hearts. It is a desire to meet the needs of others. It is “psychological comfort.” This is the difference between “hospitality” and simply “entertaining.” Entertaining says, “I want to impress you with my home, my clever decorating, my cooking.” Hospitality says, “This home is a gift from my Master. I use it as He desires.”

Hospitality aims to serve. Entertaining says, “This home is mine, an expression of my personality. Look, please, and admire.” Hospitality whispers, “What is mine is yours. We don’t have any furniture but we can sit on the floor. The house is a mess - but you are friends - come home with us.” The “entertaining” mentality will not have anyone over until the baseboards are dusted.

In Romans 12:12-13, Paul writes: “contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.” Actually both these verbs: “contribute” and “practice” are participles. The main idea, the governing idea of the participles is all the way back up in verse 9: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” All the rest of these ideas through verse 13 illustrate how we should show a sincere love for others: strangers, enemies, poor, sick, lonely, friends, fellow Christians, and our own family.

Jesus said in Luke 14:12-14 - “And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Consider the ways we can give “gifts” of hospitality:

GIFTS OF HOSPITALITY:
Food has played a major role in many major events in biblical history. Even at the beginning, in the garden of Eden, Satan offered food to Eve and Adam which God had forbidden. In the story of Jacob and Esau, we have the lentil stew. Jesus fed thousands of people miraculously on several occasions.

Let’s read through Genesis 18:1-8: “Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. “Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.”

Here, we have the gifts of shelter, nourishment, and companionship. Jan des Bouvier Opzij is a Dutch architect and interior designer who created a style of sofa. He said, “My philosophy is that true intimacy and romance always flourish at tables, not on sofas.”

Mealtimes should be made as pleasant and unhurried as possible, which can be very challenging today.

How about the gift of service? “No service in itself is small, none great, though earth it fill, but that is small that seeks its own, and great that seeks God’s will.”

Jesus, of course, said that He did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). A passage I find inspiring is Matthew 10:42 where Jesus says, “whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.” Just as mothers give last-minute instructions before leaving their children, Jesus had another important instruction to give to His spiritual children: Serve one another: “Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

We mature in a spiritual way when we become less self-centered and more willing to put others first. Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must the servant” (Matt. 20:26).

We also have the gift of comfort. This is the Greek verb “to visit.” It means to look after others, attending to their needs for comfort. Like in James 1:27: “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” And that’s what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 25:36 when He talked about visiting the sick and going to the ones in prison.

For a long time, “hospitality” carried the idea of caring for the sick. Look at the root word: “hospital.” Years ago, of course, there were no hotels and travelers stayed with other people. Eventually, religious leaders established international guest houses in the fifth century. They were called “hospice” from the Latin word for “guest.” With the Crusades, the importance of the hospice increased greatly. Often, these were the only reputable guest houses. After the Crusades, these hospices concentrated on serving the poor, sick, elderly and crippled. So, in the 15th century, secular interests took over most of the entertaining of travelers and hospitals restricted their function to care and treatment of the sick. But, originally, it means a “have as guests.”

There is perhaps no greater service than caring for someone who is chronically ill, handicapped, or elderly. As Christians, we should remember to give attention not only to the sick and afflicted, but also to the caregiver.

Anyone who has endured an illness or a crisis knows how much a small act can mean. According to the fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus says in Luke 4:18 that He came to offer hospitality to the needy, the imprisoned, the hurting and the downtrodden. It is up to us to make sure that mission is carried out.

What can we do?

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS:
Invite someone new into your home within the next month. Play games, talk, study the Bible, pray. Widen your horizons and make new friends.

Visit a neighbor. As I indicated, neighborhoods aren’t much neighborhoods anymore. They are just collections of houses where people move in and out. Reach out and introduce yourself to your neighbor.

Having guests into your home becomes easier the more you do it. That’s why it’s called practicing hospitality!

People like to eat. Have a good meal. You don’t have to cook like Patty Scheid to have a good meal! This woman was interviewing a prospective servant and she asked him, “Can you serve company?” He said, “Yes, ma’am. Both ways.” She was puzzled. He explained, “So they’ll come back or so they’ll stay away.”

People are curious about the way others live. People also enjoy talking about themselves. Ask questions that encourage them to share themselves with you. People also like to be treated special. People want to feel comfortable, so don’t apologize for things. There are times when things just do not go right. It happens. Your guests want you to feel comfortable too. After living in a foreign country, I can also say that people are the same wherever you go. But, although people are alike, they are also unique. Appreciate that uniqueness.

Don’t forget, some of the most important people who will eat at your table are the members of your own family.

I would also like to suggest that we, as a church family, have a progressive dinner - where we eat an appetizer at one family’s home, then a salad at another family’s home. Maybe we eat a soup. Then we eat the main meal at someone else’s home. Then we meet together and eat a dessert. Now, since we have members who live so far apart, I’m thinking maybe we could have three different progressive dinners going on at the same time and then we all meet together to eat dessert here at the church building. Maybe one over in the Burton / Davison / Goodrich area, one here in SC, and then one over in the Owosso or Lansing area. Then we all meet here at the building for dessert. Maybe we could do that in April sometime; if you are interested, let me know. This is also a good time to invite non-Christian friends to join us.

Take home message: Let us restore Jesus’ practice of loving strangers. We will be blessed for it and we’ll bring His blessings into the lives of others.

Based on Laurell Sewell’s book on hospitality.