The audio can be heard here. A note on my method - I write a manuscript, but do not use it while I preach. The following manuscript is close to the audio, but not exact.
Matthew 10:40-42 (NRSV)
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.
Hospitality is a Divine Encounter
Three weeks ago I was on a bus with 12 of our youth and another adult sponsor. We were on the final leg of our road trip to Colorado for a week at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp. By mid-Sunday afternoon we were road weary and ready to start our week at camp.
The journey was winding down to its final miles when the horizon began to darken and it became clear that we were about to pass through a storm. While it never rained hard, the driving wind pounding on the bus was enough for me. The final leg of the trip found us on a road with very little shoulder. We seemed to crawl along at 40 miles per hour. After what seemed to me like an eternity, we finally pulled off the state highway and began our final four mile stretch into the mountains. Signs for camp shone out like beacons on the road side. And then finally we saw it.
The main lodge smiled before us as staff ran around to make their final preparations for the week. We were immediately greater with huge smiles and helping hands. The bus was unloaded and parked in minutes. We waited with baited breath for registration to begin. And then it happened - the counselors came running down the hill towards the pavilion, and in an timeless Rainbow Trail tradition, they welcomed us in with song.
It is a welcome I will never forget. It set the tone for the whole week. In an instant I knew that the staff had been thinking about us, getting excited about us, praying about us, and could not wait to meet us. Their enthusiasm boiled over and infected the whole camp. On a damp, chilly afternoon, after a white knuckled final stretched of the road, the hospitality of that camp staff was a heavenly welcome.
The power of great hospitality is transforming. It can help to sooth nerves. It can can indicate a level of care. It can set the tone for a whole visit. Hospitality can move us from a place of uncertainty to a place of excitement in what amounts to a heartbeat. A great welcome is a powerful thing. And it’s an integral aspect of following Jesus.
The mission the disciples share, the calling that we have from Jesus, moves us into a place where we are in contact with others. This is not an individualistic way of life. It involves other people. It involves a relationship - between family, friends, and complete strangers. Jesus sends his disciples out, sends us out, not to develop their personal relationship with Jesus, but to encounter others and bring the kingdom of heaven into their midst. Jesus sends us out to do the work of the kingdom, the work of God’s love.
The hospitality of discipleship is a group activity Jesus knows this. It’s hidden in plain sight in his words this morning. The word we read as “you,” is actually plural. Jesus speaks with a Texas accent this morning - “Whoever receives you (y’all) receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” Hospitality is a communal calling. Hospitality is a divine moment. It is a thin place, where people encounter each other, perhaps at their most vulnerable.
Jesus knows that there is a possibility, and a great one, that the disciples will be rejected on the journey. But he knows that there will be those who receive the disciples. There will be those who meet the needs of the disciples, providing them with resources - food, water, a place to stay. They will open their lives to the disciples in moments of hospitality. And in those moments, Jesus tells the disciples, the ones who are receiving them are receiving God. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
Hospitality is a central theme and marker of the people of God. In fact, the Old Testament contains a great deal about how we receive one another. Abraham is remembered for his welcome of the strangers in the desert. Abraham, sitting in the shade of his tent in the desert, sees three strangers approaching. The natural reaction would be to run inside, lock the tent, and hide the goods, because the odds are the strangers are bandits. But that’s not what Abraham does. He jumps up, tells Sarah to throw more cakes in the oven, goes out back to get a bucket of water, and meets the strangers with open arms. Abraham reaches out with hospitality - he meets the basic needs of food, water, and shelter, lifesavers in the desert. These strangers turn out to be messengers from God, bringing word that Sarah would indeed bear a son. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
Israel is reminded of the gracious welcome that they received from Egypt when there was a famine in there own land. The law contains commands for the farmers of Israel. God calls the people to farming practices that leave crops on the edges of the fields - grain on the stalk and grapes on the vine - for the immigrant and the stranger that pass through the land. A mark of God’s people is how they receive one another, and the strangers and immigrants in their midst. Jesus continues this tradition.
Jesus tells his disciples that when they are received, they are received in his name, and are thus received as God’s presence. Jesus does not say that they will always be received as God. We know the troubles and hostility that can arise on the journey of a disciple - but that is not the whole story. Hospitality is the act of receiving others as God’s presence. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
There are two sides to hospitality. One - how are we received as people of God? For me, I have received divine hospitality since I started here at Bethany almost a year ago. Katie and I have felt welcomed. Y’all helped stock our pantry last August. You continue to ask how we are doing, how we are adjusting, is there anything we need - we have been welcomed very well in this place. I am humble and gracious for your hospitality. I am sure you can think of moments in your life when you can feel the energy of someone else’s welcome of you. Hospitality is happening in our midst.
And on the other side - how do we received others in the name of Jesus? Our hospitality demonstrates how we recognize the presence of God in our midst. Our welcoming of others communicates if we trust the promise from Genesis 1 - that all peoples are created in the image of God. Do we recognize this? Do we welcome others in the name of Jesus, and thus welcome God into our midst? This is an integral question for us who follow Jesus.
We do that here at Bethany. I hear over and over again how welcoming were are. We reach out to visitors. We put energy into welcoming others. But we are human. We still have work to do. It’s hard work cutting through our egos and welcoming all people - ALL peoples - as if they are God in our midst. Hospitality is a muscle that must be exercised. Hospitality is a muscle that must be stretched in order to grow. In order to learn new ways of welcoming. And the expanse of God’s presence in this world. By God’s love we are able. By God’s love we are open.
Jesus helps to stretch us this morning. He gives a three fold example of those who are welcomed - the prophet, the righteous, and the little ones. With triads, the emphasis is on the third part of the group. And often, especially in the Gospels, the third is unexpected. As it is here, when Jesus names the “little ones” alongside the prophets and the righteous. The “little ones” are the unexpected group named by Jesus. Not children, or youth, here the “little ones” may point to those who are in need. Those who are vulnerable - those who are hungry, thirsty, in need of shelter, or cloths, or community.
For us in the context of Texas - in the borderlands - the little ones could be understood as the immigrants in our midst. If you have been paying attention, you know that the issue of immigration has come up with renewed energy in the last few months. Especially in the last few days. The politics are messy. The media is not often forthcoming with the whole story. These are murky waters.
National politics aside, we who follow Jesus have something to say about this issue. I am not trying to solve the problem, but the Gospel offers us something in the midst of these tense times. We are called to be a people of divine hospitality. To receive the little ones, the vulnerable ones, as if they are God’s presence in our midst.
God is on both sides of the border. The cross is big enough to transcend any boarder or wall we can build with human hands. God’s love is big enough to hold all peoples in love. The Gospels are a witness to this understanding. Jesus helps us to encounter the world as God encounters the world. Jesus stretches our understanding of hospitality and how we encounter God in others. Jesus helps us to understand that our resources and our impact are much bigger than we can even imagine.
Hospitality is a divine encounter. Hospitality has the power to change us - to transform our lives and move us to a place where we encounter the world through God’s eyes. I remember the welcome of the Rainbow Trail staff. Their energy. I knew for the minute we got there that we were thought about, prayed about, and welcomed in the name of God. It was transforming. That’s the power of hospitality.
Hospitality - in receiving and giving, in being welcomed and welcoming others - changes us. The divine encounter of hospitality, the thin places between the people of God - all peoples - is powerful. Practicing hospitality shapes us into God’s image of divine grace. Being welcomed - and welcoming others - especially the little ones, transforms ours lives and helps us to the encounter the height, width, and depth of God’s love.
The journey was winding down to its final miles when the horizon began to darken and it became clear that we were about to pass through a storm. While it never rained hard, the driving wind pounding on the bus was enough for me. The final leg of the trip found us on a road with very little shoulder. We seemed to crawl along at 40 miles per hour. After what seemed to me like an eternity, we finally pulled off the state highway and began our final four mile stretch into the mountains. Signs for camp shone out like beacons on the road side. And then finally we saw it.
The main lodge smiled before us as staff ran around to make their final preparations for the week. We were immediately greater with huge smiles and helping hands. The bus was unloaded and parked in minutes. We waited with baited breath for registration to begin. And then it happened - the counselors came running down the hill towards the pavilion, and in an timeless Rainbow Trail tradition, they welcomed us in with song.
It is a welcome I will never forget. It set the tone for the whole week. In an instant I knew that the staff had been thinking about us, getting excited about us, praying about us, and could not wait to meet us. Their enthusiasm boiled over and infected the whole camp. On a damp, chilly afternoon, after a white knuckled final stretched of the road, the hospitality of that camp staff was a heavenly welcome.
The power of great hospitality is transforming. It can help to sooth nerves. It can can indicate a level of care. It can set the tone for a whole visit. Hospitality can move us from a place of uncertainty to a place of excitement in what amounts to a heartbeat. A great welcome is a powerful thing. And it’s an integral aspect of following Jesus.
The mission the disciples share, the calling that we have from Jesus, moves us into a place where we are in contact with others. This is not an individualistic way of life. It involves other people. It involves a relationship - between family, friends, and complete strangers. Jesus sends his disciples out, sends us out, not to develop their personal relationship with Jesus, but to encounter others and bring the kingdom of heaven into their midst. Jesus sends us out to do the work of the kingdom, the work of God’s love.
The hospitality of discipleship is a group activity Jesus knows this. It’s hidden in plain sight in his words this morning. The word we read as “you,” is actually plural. Jesus speaks with a Texas accent this morning - “Whoever receives you (y’all) receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” Hospitality is a communal calling. Hospitality is a divine moment. It is a thin place, where people encounter each other, perhaps at their most vulnerable.
Jesus knows that there is a possibility, and a great one, that the disciples will be rejected on the journey. But he knows that there will be those who receive the disciples. There will be those who meet the needs of the disciples, providing them with resources - food, water, a place to stay. They will open their lives to the disciples in moments of hospitality. And in those moments, Jesus tells the disciples, the ones who are receiving them are receiving God. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
Hospitality is a central theme and marker of the people of God. In fact, the Old Testament contains a great deal about how we receive one another. Abraham is remembered for his welcome of the strangers in the desert. Abraham, sitting in the shade of his tent in the desert, sees three strangers approaching. The natural reaction would be to run inside, lock the tent, and hide the goods, because the odds are the strangers are bandits. But that’s not what Abraham does. He jumps up, tells Sarah to throw more cakes in the oven, goes out back to get a bucket of water, and meets the strangers with open arms. Abraham reaches out with hospitality - he meets the basic needs of food, water, and shelter, lifesavers in the desert. These strangers turn out to be messengers from God, bringing word that Sarah would indeed bear a son. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
Israel is reminded of the gracious welcome that they received from Egypt when there was a famine in there own land. The law contains commands for the farmers of Israel. God calls the people to farming practices that leave crops on the edges of the fields - grain on the stalk and grapes on the vine - for the immigrant and the stranger that pass through the land. A mark of God’s people is how they receive one another, and the strangers and immigrants in their midst. Jesus continues this tradition.
Jesus tells his disciples that when they are received, they are received in his name, and are thus received as God’s presence. Jesus does not say that they will always be received as God. We know the troubles and hostility that can arise on the journey of a disciple - but that is not the whole story. Hospitality is the act of receiving others as God’s presence. Hospitality is a divine encounter.
There are two sides to hospitality. One - how are we received as people of God? For me, I have received divine hospitality since I started here at Bethany almost a year ago. Katie and I have felt welcomed. Y’all helped stock our pantry last August. You continue to ask how we are doing, how we are adjusting, is there anything we need - we have been welcomed very well in this place. I am humble and gracious for your hospitality. I am sure you can think of moments in your life when you can feel the energy of someone else’s welcome of you. Hospitality is happening in our midst.
And on the other side - how do we received others in the name of Jesus? Our hospitality demonstrates how we recognize the presence of God in our midst. Our welcoming of others communicates if we trust the promise from Genesis 1 - that all peoples are created in the image of God. Do we recognize this? Do we welcome others in the name of Jesus, and thus welcome God into our midst? This is an integral question for us who follow Jesus.
We do that here at Bethany. I hear over and over again how welcoming were are. We reach out to visitors. We put energy into welcoming others. But we are human. We still have work to do. It’s hard work cutting through our egos and welcoming all people - ALL peoples - as if they are God in our midst. Hospitality is a muscle that must be exercised. Hospitality is a muscle that must be stretched in order to grow. In order to learn new ways of welcoming. And the expanse of God’s presence in this world. By God’s love we are able. By God’s love we are open.
Jesus helps to stretch us this morning. He gives a three fold example of those who are welcomed - the prophet, the righteous, and the little ones. With triads, the emphasis is on the third part of the group. And often, especially in the Gospels, the third is unexpected. As it is here, when Jesus names the “little ones” alongside the prophets and the righteous. The “little ones” are the unexpected group named by Jesus. Not children, or youth, here the “little ones” may point to those who are in need. Those who are vulnerable - those who are hungry, thirsty, in need of shelter, or cloths, or community.
For us in the context of Texas - in the borderlands - the little ones could be understood as the immigrants in our midst. If you have been paying attention, you know that the issue of immigration has come up with renewed energy in the last few months. Especially in the last few days. The politics are messy. The media is not often forthcoming with the whole story. These are murky waters.
National politics aside, we who follow Jesus have something to say about this issue. I am not trying to solve the problem, but the Gospel offers us something in the midst of these tense times. We are called to be a people of divine hospitality. To receive the little ones, the vulnerable ones, as if they are God’s presence in our midst.
God is on both sides of the border. The cross is big enough to transcend any boarder or wall we can build with human hands. God’s love is big enough to hold all peoples in love. The Gospels are a witness to this understanding. Jesus helps us to encounter the world as God encounters the world. Jesus stretches our understanding of hospitality and how we encounter God in others. Jesus helps us to understand that our resources and our impact are much bigger than we can even imagine.
Hospitality is a divine encounter. Hospitality has the power to change us - to transform our lives and move us to a place where we encounter the world through God’s eyes. I remember the welcome of the Rainbow Trail staff. Their energy. I knew for the minute we got there that we were thought about, prayed about, and welcomed in the name of God. It was transforming. That’s the power of hospitality.
Hospitality - in receiving and giving, in being welcomed and welcoming others - changes us. The divine encounter of hospitality, the thin places between the people of God - all peoples - is powerful. Practicing hospitality shapes us into God’s image of divine grace. Being welcomed - and welcoming others - especially the little ones, transforms ours lives and helps us to the encounter the height, width, and depth of God’s love.
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