Hospitality
We are in week 2 of a 4-week series on the practice of witness, inspired by the resources from Practicing the Way. Witness is the practice of intentionally opening up our lives to others in love and testifying to the good news of Jesus through our words, our stories, and our way of life in community.
Sermon Recap
Approaching the idea of witness can provoke feelings of insecurity or even fear. We worry about the “how” of it all. The Bible, though, shows us a God who pursues out of love. So, our task isn’t to get better at the techniques of evangelism. Rather, it is to become over time people who have hearts like God’s heart.
In Luke 19, we encounter the memorable story of Zaccheus. Zaccheus, a Jew, is described as a “chief tax collector.” Which means not only was he getting rich by working for Israel’s oppressors, he was also running the organization of tax collectors in that area. He was a traitor, certainly hated by the people.
When the crowd prevented Zaccheus from seeing Jesus, he ran down the path and climbed a tree. As he passed, Jesus stopped, called Zaccheus by name, and inviteed himself over to Zaccheus’ house. In a culture where meal hospitality also served to establish social boundaries, Jesus breaks the boundaries in order to bring salvation to the house of Zaccheus.
There are 2 times in the gospel of Luke where the text says, “the Son of Man has come.” One says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking…” and Luke 19 says “the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” One points to mission, the other to method. Hospitality, sharing a meal, was at the center of Jesus’ own practice of sharing the good news of the gospel.
We see this, too, in other writings in the NT. Paul tells the church in Rome to “pursue hospitality to strangers” (Romans 12:13). Peter instructs the church to “Be hospitable to one another without complaining” (I Peter 4:9). The author of Hebrews even says don’t neglect hospitality, because some have actually entertained angels without knowing it!
You never know what God might be up to. An interruption in your life, one that might call for a meal to be shared or a bed to be made, could actually be God on the move, a divine encounter. Remember, too, Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, when he said that caring for the poor or the stranger is to care for him.
Our practice this week is to invite someone (already in your life) to something. And then listen to them. Listen, not for an opening to say practiced words, but rather to pay attention to what God might be doing in their life that has nothing to do with you.
One more thing: sometimes we fear the practice of hospitality because we suspect hospitality has to come from a place of strength or put-together-ness. The example of Jesus – who opened himself even to being wounded – shows us otherwise. The very woundedness of Jesus became a site of welcome for us, a site of hospitality. In the same way, our own wounded, broken, imperfect places can be used as life-giving places for others.
Entering Conversation
We recognize that every small group has its own conversational dynamics. Feel free to use either set of questions below – or your own – in order to structure your talking together. As you do, remember that our goal, always, is not to end up with merely better knowledge of the teaching, but to help each other respond to what was taught.
1. Reflect back on what you heard in this sermon, or on the thoughts that have come afterwards. What stood out to you, either because it was new/interesting, or because you felt like the Spirit directed your attention to it?
2. What might it look like to respond in some way to what you heard? (NB – this is where community can be helpful. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with what we heard, but others can help us identify ways of responding. Be free to help each other, graciously and gently, listening for what the Spirit may be prompting.)
3. As you close your time, pray together. Invite the Spirit to help you see where God has been at work in your life, and where you might have opportunities to share that with someone else.
-OR (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)-
1. What does your inner checklist look like before you would feel comfortable inviting someone else into your home?
2. Can you think of a time when someone unexpectedly welcomed you — a meal, an invitation, a moment of being seen — that made a real difference to you? What was it about that experience that stuck with you?
3. As you think about how Jesus crossed social boundaries to meet with Zaccheus, are there people in your life you would find it genuinely difficult to invite in? What's driving that hesitation?
4. The sermon suggests that our wounded or broken places can themselves become sites of hospitality to others. What might it look like to share a meal or open your life to someone from your mess rather than despite it?
5. What if you started to reimagine your home, not as a castle, as a place to watch TV or veg out, but as an outpost of the kingdom of God; as a haven for those in need of refuge – in need of love, of a listening ear, of protection or provision, of welcome into community?
Close your time in prayer, allowing for a time of quiet where you can each name the individuals in your life you would want to see become followers of Jesus. Ask the Spirit to give you opportunity to step toward them.
Tonight’s Practice
Move from compassion to invitation. This is as simple as walking across the street, or down the hallway; crossing that awkward little speed bump of neighborly small talk, and inviting your neighbor to share a meal. Or maybe the best place for you to start may be to invite a co-worker to join you at a food truck for lunch, or to get coffee with an old friend.