The Practice of Radical Hospitality

Dr. Larry Thorson
September 28, 2008

Matthew 25:31-46

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40 "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45 "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Today’s New International Version Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society

“'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'”

Obviously hospitality was a big thing for Jesus. 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' That’s not so surprising considering Jesus came to say that all are welcome at God’s banquet table and then provided the means for that to happen through his personal sacrifice so that we might be saved through grace by faith. That’s radical hospitality.

Radical hospitality is not only telling someone they’re welcome, but going the next step to show them that they’re welcome. As followers of Christ it’s one of the characteristics of a Spirit filled and Spirit driven congregation bearing fruit. It’s one of the main reasons God established the church.

There was a pastor in a clergy training program at a hospital who was called to the emergency room to support an older man whose wife had died. When they had gotten up that morning they had no idea how the day would unfold. They’d gone shopping and then stopped for lunch. During lunch his wife had had a heart attack. Now an unknown pastor would hand him the eyeglasses, necklace and wedding ring she had been wearing a few short hours earlier. The man had no pastor, his family was scattered across the country and he had long since retired and lost touch with his co-workers. They had lived in their current location for three years but hadn’t really gotten to know the neighbors well enough. There was no one to call. When he left the hospital that day, he was truly alone.

I wish that was an unusual situation but unfortunately it isn’t. Behind the shiny Buicks and manicured yards are so many people with no family, no friends and no church home within even fifty miles. This valley is packed with people in that situation of all ages. Hospitality says to that man through a newspaper ad that he’s welcome in their church. Radical hospitality goes the extra effort to provide a means for him to come if he wants to come. Remember Jesus came to tell us that we’re welcome at God’s table but provided the means for us to go there if we wanted to come. But he never forced us to come.

Today as we continue our series on the practices of a fruitful congregation we’re going to look at how the First Presbyterian Church of Hemet can practice radical hospitality. The first opportunity to practice radical hospitality starts on Saturday afternoon. Who will you call to say you’ll come by to take them to church on Sunday? That’s radical hospitality. When you arrive on our campus you will always see someone standing around with no one to talk to. Radical hospitality goes up to that person, puts out a hand, introducing yourself asking them what they think about those Dodgers, or something like that.

One area where radical hospitality really happens or it doesn’t happen is how you sit in the sanctuary. For example do you introduce yourself to those you’re sitting next to? Do you help someone find a seat? Maybe you’re one of those with “preferred seating”. On our flight to London this summer the first seats I saw were nice, a little cramped but not bad. I thought, maybe I’ll be able to make eleven hours on a plane like this. What I didn’t realize was that I was walking through First Class. When we came to our section we were sitting with the live chickens and goats. I have to confess that I had some bad thoughts about the people sitting in that preferred seating area of first class on that flight.

A long time ago churches had first class seating. Families could actually purchase their preferred pew in the sanctuary and no one else could sit there. I’m glad that practice is over but the way some of you act about those back pews the only thing gone in pew rentals is the rental money to the church.

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone who sat in our pews had people who knew their name and cared to use it when greeting them on Sundays? That would be radical hospitality. Think about where you sit. Often people who are uncertain visiting a new church, want to be able to bolt out quickly in case they feel uncomfortable. I understand the desire to sit at the back. I grew up on the next to the back row. Radical hospitality would mean our members sitting closer to the front and intentionally leaving the back two or three rows empty for guests or late-comers. I recognize that many of you need the back row for its proximity to a smaller room that you believe you’ll need before the service is or and that’s fine but not all of you need that little room.

Radical hospitality involves making our campus look as inviting as possible without being indulgent. I think our church does an outstanding job with that. Every time I even drive by our facility I’m so proud of how nice everything looks. Recently when I was back in Texas I drove by a large church that had just completed their capital campaign where they had tried to raise ten million dollars for a new sanctuary to replace the beautiful sanctuary they now have. Their fund raising total topped 14 million dollars. It was hard for me to not judge them when I think how 14 million could be spent making this world a more hospitable place by starting businesses and creating permanent jobs for the unemployed.

Radical hospitality welcomes all people regardless of race. When I was looking at moving here I studied the demographics and learned that African Americans were the fastest growing ethnic group in this area. When we shopped for a house we noticed a lot of African Americans, especially in the west side of town where we wanted to live. But when I looked at this church it was an elderly white church with about three African American children in Sunday School and no African American members. I wondered how hospitable the church was to people different than themselves.

Two years ago you hired Coach Carter and welcomed him into our church. Coach then began to invite other African Americans, many who would say to him “Why would we go to an old white people’s church.” He would always tell them because God is here and they’re really nice old white people.

Radical hospitality is getting to know our new members better. Try taking someone out to lunch that you don’t know very well. Unlike their pastor who rarely turns down a free meal they’ll probably turn you down…the first time. Try again and again. They’ll eventually break down and you’ll be blessed.

There’s a story that if we share one cup of tea, we remain strangers. If we share 2 cups of tea, we are on the way to becoming friends. When we’ve shared 3 cups of tea, we are family. Once someone comes through that door, it is the quality of their interactions with us that will make the difference in whether or not they are willing to even stay for coffee once and there they decide whether to risk coming again. Radical hospitality is not about a membership drive; it’s about heartfelt caring.

A week ago Saturday we had a church picnic for anyone who wanted to come. John and Jerilee Crossman along with the Joan Nehez organized it. Coach Carter barbequed the hot dogs, others brought watermelon. The gathering wasn’t very big for a church this size but what impressed me was the mix of races and ages and how well everyone enjoyed being together.

We need to do more of that. That’s why I asked our elders to form a new ministry called “Hospitality” that will work together with our deacons. Our Hospitality Ministry will look for ways to help us connect people in large group gatherings like picnics, dinners and concerts but also to connect people in small groups. If you would like to be a part of that ministry put your name, phone number and write “hos” on a blue prayer card and give it to me.

One of my big concerns, always is for those whose health prevents them from coming to church. We practice radical hospitality each month when an elder teamed with a deacon makes home visits delivering communion, a short devotion and a prayer to those who are separated from us because of their health.

Another area of radical hospitality I already mentioned and that involves giving people a ride to church. We’re now blessed to have a church bus, a driver and a list of people who need rides to church. What we need now are “Bus Attendants” who will welcome people we pick up, assist them to get onto the bus and assist them into the sanctuary. That would be radical hospitality. But we need bus attendants. May God is calling you to that ministry.

Our Sunday school teachers in my three years here have been for the most part people whose children are long grown and moved away. They don’t have to teach children anymore but they do so because they want this to be a welcoming place for all ages. That’s radical hospitality.

Why do people need church? Why do they need this congregation? Because they need to be loved. We show hospitality by greeting people we don’t know very well. We show radical hospitality by introducing a new guest to others as well as chatting with them ourselves

I want you to take a few moments now to remember your own times of needing radical hospitality. I want you to remember a time when you felt left out, maybe you were separated from family and home. …Maybe it was a time when you had just moved and felt alone. … Remember a time when you had lost family or friends who died or moved away, and someone was a friend to you.

Remember who first invited you in to Christ…Remember how Christ received you. We are more likely to be motivated towards radical hospitality, if it comes from our hearts. If we can remember the times when someone reached out to us, it reminds us to reach out to others. But we’re most motivated when we’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Open your arms, open your hearts to receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. If you’ve given your heart to Jesus Christ and accepted him as your Savior then ask for a fresh filling of his Holy Spirit. Then you’ll find yourself practicing radical hospitality.