I'm so glad you are here!

Leviticus 19:32-37 (MSG)

  "Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God. I am GOD. 

  "When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don't take advantage of him. 
  Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am GOD, your God. 
  "Don't cheat when measuring length, weight, or quantity. 
  Use honest scales and weights and measures. I am GOD, your God. I brought you out of Egypt. 
  "Keep all my decrees and all my laws. Yes, do them. I am GOD."

Would you say that hospitality is common courtesy?  Is a fair way to describe extending hospitality, as treating others the way we want to be treated? Think about it. Have you ever visited someplace and felt like an intruder? Have you ever wanted to be accepted at a function, but left with a feeling of rejection?

If a stranger knocks on the door, do we invite him inside? Probably not right away. But, when someone has been invited and is expected, the greeting is warm and friendly. There is an expectation that someone cares. Does the same apply to our hospitality at church? 

Scripture encourages us to treat foreigners the same as a native. Do you remember the first day you walked through the doors of your church? Were you a little intimidated by the new surroundings? Did you think twice before pulling into the parking lot? Remember that you were once foreigners...

Hospitality has kingdom consequences. It matters how we greet someone whether at the front door of your church, in the parking lot or classroom. When l can tell you are glad I came, I might return. 

We hear it said, 'feelings aren't facts'. But, where visitors or guests are concerned, feelings or perceptions are all they have to go on. When Jesus sent his disciples out two-by-two he told them to look for people who would welcome them.  If they didn't feel a welcoming peace, He instructed them to turn around and leave. 

Guests who walk through the doors of a church on any given Sunday are looking for that same welcome, or they too, will turn right around and leave. Kingdom consequences...

  

Leviticus 19:32-37

Ready to Entertain an Angel?

Genesis 23:10-12 (MSG)
  Ephron was part of the local Hittite community. Then Ephron the Hittite spoke up, answering Abraham with all the Hittites who were part of the town council listening:
  "Oh no, my master! I couldn't do that. The field is yours—a gift. I'll give it and the cave to you. With my people as witnesses, I give it to you. Bury your deceased wife."
  Abraham bowed respectfully before the assembled council

When reading the interchange between Ephron and Abraham, one would think the grieving man was not thinking straight. Ephron offered to freely give him the land, but Abraham insisted on paying a fair price. But this was a custom in that time. Each man knew how this transaction would end. Each man was honoring the other.

Hospitality isn't merely the nice thing to practice. No, there is an entire Hospitality Industry in our world. When was the last time you stayed in a motel? How were you welcomed? What did you find when you entered your room? Did you find any indication that you were not only wanted but expected? Was there a mint on your pillow, or maybe even a complimentary coupon for breakfast?

Part of extending hospitality to another is to show respect. A stranger may seem strange, but that is only because they are not familiar to us - yet. Once we take the time to get to know them we are able to embrace our similarities and appreciate the differences. Sometimes, it is those very differences which make the person endearing.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) 

Hospitality is defined as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Hospitality is not only making a stranger feel welcome, it begins by noticing them. We all want to be acknowledged. It is important we feel welcome and accepted when entering a new environment.  Everyone was once a stranger until we got to know them - even our best friend.

Genesis 23:10-12

What Can You Do? What Will You Do?

Have you ever been in an unfamiliar place and someone made you feel welcome? Maybe you were anxious and somebody put you at ease?

Forbidden City, Beijing

 

I was in Beijing several years ago, on business. We were trying to see if our product line could be sold in China. Our team consisted of myself, a few Chinese people residing in the United States and our Chinese hosts.

 

A few street signs and shop signs had their English meaning in small letters underneath, but for the most part I had little idea what I was looking at. Since Chinese is a tonal language, I was warned not to speak any words in Chinese. I was as likely to insult somebody as to get help.

 

The second full day there, as I was beginning to get over jet lag, my hosts took the entire team out to dinner. It was quite a feast. We had tilapia, squid, jelly fish, crab, turtle soup, bird’s nest soup, scallops, oysters and other things I purposely ate without asking.

 

I liked the crab legs; they preferred the liver and roe. It seems the legs are considered garbage food in Beijing. So I was known as “man who eat garbage.” (And they graciously gave me their ‘garbage’ to devour!)

 

By the end of the day, I was at ease and felt very welcomed.

 

Today’s reading is Genesis 23:1-9. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had just died. Living in Canaan, a foreign land, among the Hittites, Abraham needed a place to bury his wife. Because God promised Abraham that his descendents would inhabit Canaan, the Promised Land, Abraham wanted is wife to be buried there.

 

The grieving Abraham was no doubt anxious. Would the Hittites sell a foreigner some land?

 

The Hittite leaders did sell him land, giving him his choice for a burial plot. Abraham must have been relieved.

 

When we meet someone new to the faith, or is exploring the faith, they might be anxious. After all, Christianity is new to them. In a sense, they are in foreign territory.

 

What can you do to reach out to a new face at church and help put that person at ease?

 

What will you do?

A Blessed Welcome Awaits

Psalm 1 (NIV)
Blessed [welcome] is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

The word 'blessed' has many meanings, like, holy or set apart or sacred.  But for this Psalm I am drawn to the word welcome. This word is powerful in the context of this Psalm. When a new believer takes that first step to faith, renouncing their past and turning from a sinful life to one that would make Jesus proud, they are welcomed into God's family.

You might enjoy how Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message translation: 

How well God must like you— you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.

Those moments we experience a life-change like this, we feel the difference.  I know I did.  I struggled for a long time to stay on the right path and every time I would veer off course, I felt it in my spirit. I would be longing for the peace to come again.  I wanted to feel the WELCOME in my heart again.

We get older and wiser and our walk with God is a constant, even then, we need to feel that peace, that WELCOME that comes only from walking close to the One who knows us so well and wants a relationship with each and every one of us.

Psalm 1