Kingdom Hospitality Is Humble Hospitality

Kingdom Hospitality is Humble Hospitality

Sermon prepared for WellSpring Church

April 21, 2013

Luke 14:12-14

Subject

Complement

Big Idea: Kingdom Hospitality reflects the humility and hospitality of the king.

Introduction
Engage
Review
Conversations of the way to Calvary
All of these follow the injunction to “strive to enter by the narrow door”
Enter without fear of man
Enter without hypocrisy
Enter without pride
Preview: Today Enter by pouring yourself out in love and generosity for others. Strip yourself of a closed heart and a tight fist.
Big Idea: Entering the Kingdom of God comes when we reflect and practice the humility and the hospitality of the king. Let’s see what I mean:
Read the text, Luke 14:12-14
Jesus Gives us a rule for hospitality
Hospitality is a part of the whole story of the Bible
Hospitality is a command and a duty
Some Hints on how to show hospitality
The rewards of Hospitality
King Jesus gives us a rule about hospitality
When you give a diner
do not invite those who can repay you.
do invite those who cannot repay you.
What Jesus is not saying
He is not saying that we can never invite our family and friends to our homes, or show them kindness and love or to have the normal relationships with them.
He is not saying that the only people that we can consort with and share bread with at our table is the poor and needy.
John Calvin writes: “Those who think that Jesus is removing family and friendly parties are removing humanity from man. For it would not be just strict, but barbarous, to exclude relatives from one’s hospitality and admit only strangers.”
What Jesus is saying
We need to be driven by love, care, compassion, generosity and the needs of others
Wrong Motives for invitations to others include:
Self-exaltation
Getting ahead
impressing others
Selfishness “What’s in it for me?”
So then, we are to invite with the same openness that the king has invited us to his eternal table. This is Kingdom Hospitality
At this point let’s define hospitality
“the friendly treatment of guests or strangers, an act or show of welcome”
“which is not too far from how the Greek word philo-xenia (philoxoneia) ‘love of strangers”
Hospitality is more of a Practice, philosophy, mindset and principle than it is a easily defined action.

When we look at the Old Testament we find that Hospitality woven into the entire fabric of the Holy Narrative.
The whole story of the Old Testament is one the practice of Hospitality
Abraham the stranger, from the Ur of the Chaldees, Jacob a visitor in his uncle’s house for twenty years, Joseph sold into a slavery as a foreigner, Moses living as a guest in his father in law’s house for forty years, Israel the Stranger, the alien, the wanderer, the slave, the disfranchised.the forty years of wilderness wanderings of the Israelites, the seventy years of Babylonian exile.
The Old Testament enjoins and demands care for the stranger, the vulnerable, disfranchised, the alien, the under privileged. It is actually commanded
Ex. 23:9
Lev. 19:33-34
Deut. 10:19
Isa. 58:6-10
Forms of hospitality in the Culture of the Old Testament
Reception of visitors
Gleaning
Clothing
Tithing Food
Inviting aliens to join religious celebrations
Not only is Israel to be a host nation, but God displays himself as the ultimate host and giver of hospitality

When we come to the Testament:
Hospitality is seen in the life of Jesus
He received hospitality as we saw lst week
He also had a heart of hospitality always openly receiving those who were considered outcasts, unworthy, and unclean
Children
Tax collectors
Sinners (Prostitutes)
Gentiles
The diseased and unclean (lepers)
Hospitality is a mean to be a regular part of the life of the Church, notice:
All Christians expected and commanded to show hospitality (the love of the stranger)
Romans 12:13. Literally it says, "Pursue hospitality." And the verb implies continuous action. So the command in Romans 12:13 is that hospitality not just be a once a year thing at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but a constant attitude and practice. Our homes and apartments should stand constantly ready for strategic hospitality—a readiness to welcome people who don't ordinarily live there.
Hebrews 13:2: Do not neglect
I Peter 4:9-10 do this lovingly, ungrudgingly, continuously
Widows are meant to be hospitable I Timothy 5:8-10
Leaders of the Church must be hospitable (again this is not an option, but is included in the list of qualifications along with…)
Hospitality is, in fact, a command and a Christian duty, a practice to keep up, a virtue to pursue. What I am seeing and saying here is that hospitality is not an option for any of us but a holy obligation. Alexander Strauch calls hospitality a “valuable jewel in the crown of Christian life and service.”
The early Church was known for its hospitality.
I Clement, writing from Rome to the church of Corinth: Indeed, was there ever a visitor in your midst that did not approve your excellent and steadfast faith…or did not proclaim the magnificent character of your hospitality?
Have you ever stopped and asked where the words hospital and hospice came from? It is from the history of Christians showing Christ-like care and mercy to the needy

“I don’t think most Christians today understand how essential hospitality is to fanning the flames of love and strengthening the Christian family. Hospitality fleshes out love in a uniquely personal and sacrificial way. Through the ministry of hospitality, we share our most prized possessions. We share our family, home, finances, food, privacy, and time. Indeed, we share our very lives. So hospitality is always costly. Through the ministry of hospitality, we provide friendship, acceptance, fellowship, refreshment, comfort, and love in one of the richest and deepest ways possible for humans to understand. Unless we open the doors of our homes to one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is only a theory.” (Strauch)

Jesus is telling us both to practice hospitality and how to practice hospitality. Basically he is saying to us, “Open your homes to those who are neglected, alone, and uninvited.” (Strauch)
Let’s go back to the text. Entertaining family, friends, acquaintances, and those whom we want to impress, or those who can reciprocate isn’t what the Bible calls hospitality. “[T]he practice of Christian hospitality is truly distinctive from the world’s practice of hospitality because it reaches out to unwanted, needy people who cannot reciprocate. For many people, hospitality is practiced only to meet their own social needs. Sometimes is a self-glorifying show to impress others with one’s home or entertainment skills. In contrast, Christian hospitality is humble, sacrificial service.” (Strauch)
Every one of us can practice hospitality. Jesus doesn’t make exceptions. Neither did Paul, Peter, or the writer of the Hebrews. Every one of us can show generosity, care, compassion, and love to someone. This means that singles, newlyweds, couples with young children, couples with lots of children, single parents, empty nesters, elderly, busy, tired, and shy people. No one is exempted. Every one of us can in some way—lovingly as Christ’s followers—show his love and compassion to those who are lonely, tired, friendless, hungry, poorly clothed, without shelter, unpleasant to be with, awkward, and irritating. Hospitality is not an option, it is a command and a duty. In the same way that Jesus reached out to people as the friend of sinners and welcomed tax-collectors and public sinners, fed the hungry and touched the unclean we too can show hospitality.
We can show hospitality as individuals.
We can show hospitality as family units
We can show hospitality as a church
If this is true, then why aren’t we more involved in hospitality?

It may be as simple as ignorance and obliviousness—we just didn’t know that this was required of us, or
If we did know we have been careless and haven’t taken this obligation seriously.
Jesus starts off by saying that the wrong motive for hospitality is pride and self-display and reciprocity. In the same way it is possible that I might not be anxious to show hospitality because of my pride. I may be too proud to let anyone see my house, sit on my worn out furniture, see the clutter my kids leave, know what kind of trashy neighborhood I live in. I cannot cook, I don’t have the resources to put on a fancy meal. I’m too proud to show my weaknesses and limitations.
Closely related to this pride is fear. I am afraid I will be looked down on, afraid that I will make a muck of the meal, I won’t be able to talk to people and so forth. I think this might be especially true of singles. The fear is that I cannot show hospitality alone. When it comes to helping people with physical needs we are afraid of being exploited and taken advantage of. We don’t bring some people into our homes either as dinner guests or to give them shelter because we don’t know what they might do to our belongings or us.
It may be that you agree that we should be more hospitable, but you say, I am too busy, I am too tired. This is a very real concern for many of us. We have demanding jobs, full schedules, our kids keep us awake all hours of the night. I know. We have been there. My wife has worked outside the home for most of our thirty-five years. We have had toddlers, busy adolescents, and there have been many times when my schedule as a pastor has meant that I am out of the house as many as thirteen nights out of fourteen. When we do have a free night we are either too tired to reach out to others or hungry for a night alone together.
A sixth reason we are inhospitable—and that is what we need to call it when we are not practicing hospitality, is because hospitality impinges on our own personal comfort, schedules, and desires. It could be as small as not having someone over for dinner because our favorite TV show or sports team is on. Frankly, one of the hardest things I can think of doing on a Sunday afternoon is entertaining company because I am yearning to take a nap. How thankful I am for a wife who is always asking me when we can have people over for a meal or game night. Reg and I are now empty nesters and we have grown quite accustomed to our own space, privacy, rhythms, and ways of doing things. It is hard to have someone interrupt them.
And lastly, horribly, it could be that we do not practice hospitality merely because we are greedy and self-centered. We simply do not love people enough to extend ourselves to them. “Selfishness is the single greatest enemy to hospitality. We do not want to be inconvenienced.” We do not take seriously the fact that the hospitality that we show to others is transferred to Jesus. (Matthew 25)

For many of us, we just don’t know where to begin.
To help us think about where to begin consider these very real scenarios:
Number one complaint of people is that churches are unfriendly—it is possible that you could, and probably have, attended a church, even this one for a lengthy period of time and never be invited to someone’s house for a meal.
Strauch and elderly woman four years in a church taking a bus an hour, eating alone in a restaurant, sitting in the park or library so she could stay for the evening service.
Guest preacher driving three hours and no one cares about lunch.
Very good friends and leaders I have known for over 20 years who have never once invited me to their house, Compared to people who invited us over time after time when I was out of work feeling very loney and rejected and frankly a bit afraid of the future.
Mike and Katy Noes—college students week after week, until 1 and 2 in the morning, building relationships that have impacted this church incredible.
Jim Peterson example of Mario
Nancy Pearcey

When Denis answered the door a slight, young woman with blue eyes and straight blond hair down to her waist stood on the steps clutching a worn backpack. Denis called me to come because she was asking to stay with us and we had a policy of no crashers. I picked up our one-year-old daughter and carried her with me to the front door. Denis introduced me, “This is Nancy. She’s asking to stay with us.”

“But we’re not a crash pad.” I said it with a note of accusation. It was 1971 and there were still plenty of disenchanted hitchhikers crossing the country searching for a place to drop acid and find the Stairway To Heaven. I was annoyed that Denis hadn’t just sent her away. The four young men already living with us were funny and charming, but their all-night jamming sessions and the amount of food they required were taxing my patience. We were leaders working with a large assortment of newly converted or spiritually searching young people. We called our home “His House” – which at the time sounded more evocative. Our living room was open forum every night for music, discussion, prayer, and coffee, but we had to have limits.

“My dad dropped me off over there,” she pointed to the Piggly Wiggly parking lot across the street from where we lived “and I told him I’d be staying here. He’s gone back to Las Cruces.” She looked at us. “Please? I heard you were Christians, sort of like L’Abri, and that you took people in.” She was barely twenty and spoke with an appealing little lisp. There was a vulnerability about her and it seemed uncaring and dangerous to be simply dumped off in the middle of our run-down neighborhood in Albuquerque. We looked at each other and a slight nod passed between Denis and me. “You can come in and stay the night, but I’m not sure about after that. We don’t have a bed for you, but we have extra blankets and there is the floor.” Her face brightened, and she entered our home and claimed a corner of the living room. That night, when Denis led a Bible study discussion, it was crowded as usual, and Nancy made some precocious, insightful comments – enough to swivel my head and capture our full attention. Late that night after everyone left she told Denis he needed to read more of Francis Schaeffer. And she told him exactly why. We learned she was a new Christian and had just come back from a place called Swiss L’Abri. She stayed the next day and the next, and that summer became the first of several summers she spent in our home as part of our family. We’ve loved her ever since. In 2005 Nancy Randolph Pearcey’s book Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity won the Gold Medallion Award for best book of the year.

Is this not what it means to entertain angels unawares?

Begin by inviting someone to your house for a meal or coffee or dessert.
Plan your calendar to include hospitality
It is possible that you could have someone on a Sunday.—or any day of the week.
If you need help being hospitable enlist some help.
I’m thinking of a single person
Our experience this past Easter with the Pelois. You can join with someone else…
Husbands this is sounding like a big burden on your wife right now. We have a lot of young families and weary wives. You can be a huge part of this ministry of hospitality by helping your wife. In our case I love to cook, but there are other thing you can do to be a partner in hospitality (budget, shop, clean, get the kids out for a bit promise to wash dishes after the meal)
Think of Specific people to whom you can show hospitality
Neighbors
new people at church
folks you don’t know at church
Itinerant Missionaries
Collect simple and inexpensive recipes and menus.
Take advantage of the weekly meeting of the church.
Welcome and introduce yourself to someone you do not know. Don’t be so caught up in your friendships and family that you can’t welcome someone.
Cliques
Leave the church open
Too tired to stay, too busy and in a rush…

When we have a soup lunch, use this opportunity to be hospitable. Fellowship with your friends is great—and this is one reason why we have these meals—but I have watched month after month when we have visitors that they are ignored. Strauch writes, “A cold, unfriendly church contradicts the gospel message. Yet unfriendliness stands out as one of the most common criticisms people have of local churches. It doesn’t take people long to figure out that there is a “churchy” love among Christians that ends at the back door or in the parking lot. It is a superficial, Sunday-morning kind of love that is unwilling to venture beyond the walls of the church building.”
Keep your eye out for families with children, volunteer to help them find the nursery and Sunday School. Volunteer to be a part of the nursery care team.

Ask how you can help with meals for others. When we have families with newborns we provide meals. You can do that. If you can’t cook, you can still provide a meal. Holly and Annie’s Olive Garden Meal. We were once invited to a house where we were served Boston Chicken. We thought it was strange. But here was a woman who wanted to make friends and she wasn’t confident in her cooking so she Bought Boston Chicken. She was being hospitable in her own way.
Above all, make an effort. Do not practice hospitality because people were kind to you. I remember when we put out a Do not judge others by your own experience. Do not say something, like we made it with little kids, we had a busy schedule, we’ve had rough times, we pulled through, we never had friends… Embrace this obligation, be willing to pour yourself out for the sake of others.

The greatest motivation for hospitality
the rewards that are ours (From John Piper)
The suffering of the saints will be relieved or at least diminished. That is what verse 12 means when it says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints.” We lift a burden. We relieve stress. We give hope. And that’s a reward!
The glory of God is displayed.Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Lavish giving and open homes display the glory and the goodness and the worth of God in your life. The reason God gives us money and homes is so that by the way we use them people can see they are not our God. But God is our God. And our treasure.
More thanksgiving to God is unleashed.2 Corinthians 9:12, “The ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” God has given us money and homes not just so that we are thankful, but by our generosity and hospitality to make many people thankful to God.
Our love for God and his love in us is confirmed.1 John 3:17, “If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” In other words, when we give generously and open our homes, the love of God is confirmed in our lives. We are real. We are not phony Christians.
Finally, we lay up treasure in heaven.Luke 12:33-34. “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail. . . . For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God is our host
Rewards at the resurrection
Christ has invited us to his table.