blip : Beyond Lost Intellectual Ponderings :

We are an outpost of the Kingdom. A living, holy temple of the Lord of All! Through thankful lips His Holy Spirit breathes. The message of Good News to this world. With grateful hearts, we worship our King; Our lives proclaim His Kingdom come!

Those are a few lines from a song we sang at church today. Today I attended my first Sunday service in Durham. A friend from Santa Barbara recommended the church> to me. The message couldn’t have been more timely. As I already mentioned, some friends and I have started a community house that will minister to our neighborhood through practicing hospitality. Well, can you guess what the pastor preached about today? Of course, he spoke about hospitality. It was like God was reassuring me that he is walking with us as we are trying this hospitality thing.

3 John was the text for the sermon. The pastor focused on two men discussed in the letter: Gaius and Diotrephes. John commends Gaius for his work of hospitality “for the brothers, even though they are strangers” (v.5). John also delivers a harsh blow to Diotrephus “who loves to be first” and “refuses to welcome” (vv. 9-10). The pastor went on to paint the cultural landscape of the 1st century church and describe how hospitality was such a counter-cultural practice: “Hospitality was a special way that Christians distinguished themselves from the outside world.” He described hospitality as the outworking of the work of Christ in the Christian life; it is the natural response to the incarnation of Christ. “We cannot horde the grace we have received from God. It graciously demands the practice of hospitality.”

Not only are we compelled by the Gospel to practice hospitality, but it is also a prophetic word to the world around us. In a world where everything is about getting more (possessions, money, whatever) as fast as possible, Christians are about joyfully sharing what God has graciously given. This is foolishness to a world that has bought the lies of the Enemy. The reason why hospitality is a prophetic practice is because by freely giving our possessions we are exposing the false and destructive nature of the “dog eat dog,” “the one with the most toys wins” way of life. As we joyfully share our home, possessions, and money we show the joy of living in the Kingdom of God. We are not enslaved to money. We are free! That freedom only comes from putting our trust in the One who promises to care for our needs (Matthew 6:25-34).

At the beginning of her book, Making Room>, Christine Pohl shows how Jesus is portrayed as a “gracious host” and as a “vulnerable guest” (p. 16-17). She goes on to write,

This intermingling of guest and host roles in the person of Jesus is part of what makes the story of hospitality so compelling for Christians. Jesus welcomes and needs welcome; Jesus requires that followers depend on and provide hospitality. The practice of Christian hospitality is always located within the larger picture of Jesus’ sacrificial welcome to all who come to him.

Hospitality is part and parcel to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will breath “the message of the Good News to this world” through us. We are a grace-infused people so let’s live graciously.

Here is another song from today’s service:

We are called to be God’s servants, serving him throughout our day, taking his own task upon us, all his sacred words obey. Let us rise, then, to his summons, dedicate to him our all, that we may be faithful servants, quick to answer now his call.