September 1, 2019 – Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14
Hospitality: The Love of Strangers
Lectionary 22C – September 1, 2019
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
In Jesus’s day, the Jewish people imagined that
when God’s intentions for creation were fulfilled, there would be a great banquet,
a huge party.
Some groups in Jesus’ time had very clear ideas about who would be invited to and
present at that great banquet.
When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 in the Holy Land,
not only were there 2000 year old Biblical manuscripts found,
but also texts written by one of these groups.
One of their texts talked about the great day of who would be included at the great banquet:
Those invited to the big end-time banquet included all the wise men of the congregation, the learned and intelligent, men whose way is perfect and men of ability . . . the men of renown.
That’s who’s in according to this group.
Here’s who’s out – here is a list of those not invited to the big banquet:
No man smitten in the flesh, or paralyzed in his feet or hands, or lame, or blind, or deaf, or dumb, or smitten in his flesh with a visible blemish; no old and tottery man unable to stay still in the midst of the congregation; none of these shall come . . . among the congregation of the men of renown. (quoted by Patrick Wilson in The Christian Century, Aug. 24/10, p. 20)
Wow. No women, no one who’s been scarred by life, no one who’s been broken by the journey.
In short, no one who isn’t by the standards of the time perfect.
Well, this morning Jesus is invited to a Pharisee’s house and
he speaks of a very different guest list.
He looks around and he sees a gathering of, well, men of renown.
People of status and learning.
And he invites the host to expand his guest list.
When you give a banquet, he says, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
And you will be blessed.
Jesus, as we know, walked his own talk.
He fed thousands of those who were hungry, regardless of their station in life –
and at the last supper, fed those who he knew were about to betray and fail him.
There is a word for this in the Bible: the word is “hospitality.”
Then, as now, the word might imply inviting friends for supper who might invite you back to
return the favour.
But in Jesus’ mind hospitality is obviously something quite different.
It is sharing what you have with any who might need it.
It is a way of building community and including those who are outside your circle in any way.
There is a word for this in the New Testament,
and we are lucky today to hear one of its rare appearances – in Hebrews.
The word is translated “hospitality.”
But in Greek, the word is “philoxenia” – literally it means love of strangers.
Hospitality is the love of strangers, of those who are different,
of those who perhaps cannot give you a return invitation.
The writer is winding up his sermon – we are near the end of Hebrews.
Writing decades after Jesus died and was raised, the writer of Hebrews ends his sermon by
encouraging his listeners to extend the life of Jesus into the world.
Hebrews can be a difficult work to read and understand,
but the passage this morning is wonderfully clear.
“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
He’s talking about Abraham and Sarah who welcome 3 travelling guests to their tent.
The strangers . . . turn out to be God. Just saying.
If you want to be blessed by the presence of God, the writer is saying,
show hospitality to strangers – to foreigners, to people outside your circle,
to the vulnerable; to people who may be unable to reciprocate.
Literally, the writers says, Do not forget to love strangers.
Do not forget – they have already been taught this.
They have learned the stories of Jesus since they became Christians,
maybe since they were little.
They have heard how Jesus showed love to thousands,
particularly those who came to him in need, in hunger, in illness, in distress, in isolation.
And he didn’t forget to show love to any of them.
Don’t forget to love strangers. It’s how you welcome God. It’s how you are blessed.
We live in a world in desperate need of hospitality, of loving one another, of welcome.
As borders and walls and prejudices go up, community and harmony become harder and harder.
We are all children of the same heavenly parent.
We are all created in the image of God.
We are all brothers and sisters.
Hospitality – the love of those different from us – invites us to experience this,
our common humanity.
Hospitality – love of strangers – became one of the defining characteristics of Christianity.
Every week we enact it in our Holy Communion.
A meal is hosted by Jesus where literally everyone is welcome.
A meal in which Jesus offers bread and wine and with them his love, healing, forgiveness,
and grace to any who are in any need of it – especially those who are in need of it.
The poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.
The hurting, the unemployed, the ill, the grieving.
The prosperous, the well-off, the Canadian, the American, the landed immigrant, the refugee.
The very young, the very old, the teen, the adult, the middle-aged.
All are fed. All stand together. All are joined in mutual love.
All become dedicated to and fed for the task of loving yet more strangers.
Of participating in God’s task to lead this world to mutual love and harmony.
To the day when all creation will look like what we enact this morning: a banquet of love.
When we do what we do this morning, we are hastening that day.
It’s a small gesture, in a small church,
in a neighbourhood that is not often thought of outside its boundaries.
But what we do week in and week out in our worship space and in our parish hall is
playing its part in God’s mission to bless this world and every person in it.
We are entertaining angels by what we do.
We are inviting God into our midst through what we do.
We are blessed by doing these things.
So come: discover your common humanity again this morning.
Come you who have been scarred by life, you who have been broken by the journey.
You who have made bad decisions, you who are filled with regret.
You who feel shame – and you who are full of pride – you are all welcome.
Be fed by Jesus who hosts this meal where everyone is welcome.
And do not forget how you have been welcomed by Jesus –
and extend that same love and welcome to strangers;
extend the life of Jesus into the world.
In this way, love will grow – and the world will slowly change.
You will entertain angels, and you will see how God is present among us.
So together, let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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