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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Sayings about and instructions for classic hospitality have always been fascinating to me. Maybe because the world which they describe seems so foreign and distant to us. Granted, I didn’t grow up in the most hostile of communities, but there are more than a few places that consider a warning shot is a sign of hospitality.

From what I gather, it seems that at least the romantic notion of hospitality began to decline sometime after the Depression. Sure, there are plenty of examples of hospitality still around today. But at least for me, when I think of the idealized notion of hospitality, it always conjures up images of Aunt Bea offering a transient hobo a ladle of water out of the barrel. Now, it seems as if we aren’t just wary of the stranger, but treat everyone with a high degree of suspicion.

In our world the assumption is that strangers are a potential danger and that it is up to them to disprove it. When we travel we keep a careful eye on our luggage; when we walk the streets we are aware of where we keep our money; and when we walk at night…our whole body is tense with fear of an attack. Our heart might desire to help others: to feed the hungry, visit the prisoners and offer a shelter to travelers; but meanwhile we have surrounded ourselves with a wall of fear and hostile feelings, and we go out of our way to avoid those people who might actually need our help.¹

It’s a shame really that because of this suspicion, almost any act of hospitality could be considered an exception in today’s world. Having a real-live person answer the phone is now surprising and rare. Even to say hello and smile in the grocery store can now be construed as a threat. Fortunately though, as Christians, we’re called to more than just any old act of welcome, we’re called to seek out ways to be hospitable that are counter-cultural and revolutionary. An act of true Christian hospitality has the power to bring God’s kingdom here on earth.

The brief passage of scripture that we have for today’s text concludes Jesus’ speech to his disciples before sending them out to preach and teach in the towns of Galilee. The entire chapter outlines how they are to go out and carry themselves and the message of the gospel.

These last statements are interesting because the message is addressed to an audience that is much larger than just the twelve gathered around him. The intended audience also includes the people who would receive the disciples, and also third party who, by seeing their interactions, would see a model of the relationship God seeks with us.

Reading this text both “backwards and forwards,” we better understand the importance of and the proper attitude for mission. Jesus is not just assuring the disciples that they will be treated well when they go out in mission, nor is he encouraging those who would receive them to treat them well, there is also the implication that the disciples should act in a way in which they deserve to be treated well. He’s saying, “If people are going to welcome you in my name, you better live up to my name.” (As a teenager, I got a few of those mandates from my father before I would leave the house.)

I’m sure I worry a little too much about how I’m perceived by others, particularly in how it relates to my role as a pastor. Not that I’m seen as being holy enough (I’ve given up on that a long time ago), but that I’m not trying to take advantage of this hospitality that Jesus says his disciples are to receive. It’s hard to help being self-conscious though, especially when I’ve seen so many examples of religious leaders exploiting this Christian code of conduct. I haven’t meant to, but I’ve probably hurt a few feelings turning down genuine offers of hospitality for fear of looking like the pastor who takes the last piece of fried chicken from Sunday’s dinner or is entitled to a “preacher’s discount” wherever I go. It’s sometimes hard accepting the kindness of others when you can quickly get lumped into the group that takes advantage of it.

I have found though, that when I do allow myself to be open to the true hospitality of others, it really does have the rewards Jesus talks about. Rewards for all parties involved. It truly is a blessing to share a table with people of open hearts and minds, and to be welcomed into a home where the only ulterior motive is to simply be. True hospitality takes two parties, one to offer, and one open to receiving it.

The revolutionary nature of hospitality is that the ministry of hospitality is essential to discipleship. To be a part of the Christian community is to respond to grace by extending grace to all who are in need. Christian hospitality not only shares God's mercy and love with the least and the lost, the ministry of hospitality transforms both the welcomed and the one who welcomes into community, the image of the Triune God.

Though Jesus’ words were originally directed to his disciples and others who would go out in mission in his name, to assure them that they would find welcoming ears, hearts, and homes, they also remind us of the task we have to be hospitable to the ones who come to us. This includes not just the really holy ones who come to us with great titles, but all children of God. It’s easy to be hospitable to important people, to give them VIP seating, and to shower them with attention. It’s a lot harder to show that same extravagance to those we spend most of the week trying to ignore or even being hostile toward.

In Jesus’ command, he tells them that whoever welcomes someone who comes in his name will receive a reward. Even a cup of cold water given to one of the “little ones” – which means, a person very young in the faith – will receive a blessing.

So we’re supposed to be nice to all Christians, right? Well not exactly. We’re also reminded by Jesus who tells us that he is in the stranger, the one who is hungry, and the one who is in prison. Therefore, since anyone and everyone bears the image of Christ, we should be hospitable to them. Hospitable in a way that is truly radical.

I’m so glad I haven’t had to serve a church that had one of those changeable message signs out front. And, I’m especially glad I haven’t had to be responsible to coming up with messages week to week. I really can’t stand those signs, particularly because most of the time the messages on them are either really cheesy or just really bad. I know it can’t be easy coming up with something week after week, but some churches just need to leave theirs blank.

For a couple of weeks I passed a sign that said “Tolerance is God’s love in action.” Maybe many of you saw it, too. Now I know very little about the church and the people there, and I’m sure that they are very good people, but their message was exactly the opposite of what Jesus was getting at.

On the surface, the statement about tolerance is harmless enough and is a nice sentiment. And, I’m sure they meant for the message to be thought-provoking and most of all, loving. And, I’m sure that in some places, being tolerant really is revolutionary. But in terms of the type of radical hospitality Jesus was encouraging, tolerance is just a step above indifference, which isn’t that far removed from hostility.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that says, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” Radical hospitality doesn’t just keep hostility from escalating, but transforms the community into the kingdom of God. This is more than just “getting along,” but is an active and driving force.

We find the model and motivation for hospitality in the actions and teachings of Christ and his disciples. In a very real sense, the disciples being sent out in mission was an act of hospitality. By going out into the world, they were inviting God’s people to be welcomed into the kingdom. This changes the way in which we think of hospitality as passive welcoming. The hospitality modeled by Jesus and his disciples doesn’t say, “Build it and they will come,” Jesus goes out and searches for those to bring in and be hospitable to.

Last year, Charles asked many in the congregation to read the book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. This was in response to the analysis made through Natural Church Development and part of our Leadership Summit. The book details 5 characteristics of healthy, dynamic congregations, with number one being radical hospitality.

The author describes radical hospitality as a church being as concerned about the people who aren’t there as much as they are about the people inside. It is a church that approaches hospitality to visitors with the same amount of energy that it dedicates to mission, and vice-versa. It is an active welcoming and inviting, one that doesn’t wait around for someone to stumble in, but goes out and seeks those who need a relationship with God.

For as much as this scripture encourages those who go out in mission with the assurance they will be received well, this text also reminds us that we are to go out bearing the image of Christ, and that when we receive others, we are to receive them as we would Christ. This revolutionary, radical hospitality has the power to transform. It changes strangers into community and models the relationship God desires with us.

Radical hospitality starts with the attitude that we are not welcoming the stranger, but we are welcoming Christ. Where might we be missing an opportunity to recognize Christ in our midst by drinking all the water for ourselves?