God of The Invisible
The God of Abraham - Part 4
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7
So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them, and stood under the tree near them as they ate.
- Genesis 18:6-8
Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:
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Three strangers are traveling near Abraham’s desert camp in the heat of the day. He has no idea who they are, or what their intentions might be. Could they be hostile? Could they be criminals or escaped slaves? Could they be outcasts because of a highly contagious disease? Who knows? The only thing that matters to Abraham is that God has called him to care for the stranger, just as he was cared for when he himself was a stranger in this new land.
We don’t generally have strangers in need walking by our homes or our churches, so the question is, what does it look like to extend this kind of hospitality today? In Laura Buchanan’s article on umc.org, “Hospitality tips for the 21st century,” we find just a few suggestions to get us started, especially when it comes to showing hospitality as a church.
Make a personal connection
Sit beside people, ask them how they are. Learn their story. Ask questions. Build relationships… Don’t be aggressive. Learn about them rather than trying to get them to come to all of your activities.
Learn to be a guest
People don’t naturally come to church. We have to go to them in the community. Ask yourself, “Who do I hang out with every week? What do we do together? Where do I spend a lot of time outside of church?” What if those relationships became a form of church? What if we created community wherever we go?
Find spaces to build relationship
Evaluate your life, interests, where you find yourself in the community on a regular basis. Don’t think you already know the community or the people you are talking to. Come in as a learner… be a learner of people, a learner of your community. Let the place and the people teach you.
Rethink evangelism
Simply inviting people to church is not evangelism. We must listen, love, and serve people. Find out how to do things together. Build relationships slowly over time. When little spiritual openings come up in conversation, you can share your faith. You can offer to pray for people. You can form little faith communities within your everyday relationships.
Hospitality is about creating friendships with people who don’t go to church, not just about how we welcome people when they come to church.
Authenticity is key.
When our motive is to grow our church, we reek of desperation and we push people away. When we show up with no agenda except to show love to the other person and to get to know them for who they are, God has a way of showing up, just as God showed up for Abraham.