Of Aunts, Jesus and Hospitality

My aunt died last summer. I was remembering her last week because I found her phone number still in my contact list in my cell phone. Well, about two months after her death I received a packing box in the mail. It contained my aunt’s cookie jar. A little note was attached from my cousin. “Mom would want you to have this. She knew how special it was to you.”

Here’s the story. Every time we traveled the three hours to visit my cousins, my aunt would make my favorite cookies - chocolate oatmeal no-bakes! It was her wonderful way of telling us that we were very welcomed in her home, that she loved us and that we were special. It was a marvelous act of hospitality!

The cookie jar represented the best of “hospitality” for a little kid. Many of you are like that also. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing your hospitality!

In the Gospel - Matthew chapter 9, Jesus goes out of his way to be hospitable to others. 1.) He invites Matthew to leave his tax collecting booth and become a disciple. He basically invited Matthew to become a part of his faith family.

2.) He gladly sits down at dinner with Matthew even though Matthew invites his friends whom most call “scum”. I’ll bet Jesus really enjoyed that evening!

3.) The scripture ends with Jesus traveling around proclaiming the Good News, teaching, and healing – and having compassion upon the people he met.

Of the many images we have of God in the Bible – the creator, the all-powerful manipulator of the environment, as judge and jury, the inspirational Father, the compassionate Jesus, the medical missionary, the sacrificial Savior – perhaps none expresses his everyday love for us like that of the man of hospitality.

Jesus loved to gather people around him so that he might teach them the ways of God. “Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God”, he said. One time Jesus was teaching in a house full of people. His mother and brothers showed up and the word was sent into the house. Jesus looked out upon those seated at his feet and compassionately asked, “Who are my mother and brothers? All of those who hear and believe in the word of God”.  Jesus so easily invited others to become a part of his faith family.

One of Jesus’ most heartwarming parables is of the King who prepared a great feast for his friends but when they made excuses not to attend, he sent out word for all of the street urchins and outcasts to come instead. God is the King who invites all into his heavenly feast!

People loved Jesus because he loved them first and he showed it in significant ways. It’s called hospitality! For example: 1.) Jesus reached out to touch the leper – the untouchables of his day.

2.) He’d stop doing “busy stuff” because a simple woman reached out to touch the hem of his garment. She believed that a single inconspicuous touch would heal her. Not only did it, but Jesus reached out to include her in!

3.) He often took time to eat with others in their homes – Matthew, Lazarus, Mary and Martha. The Savior of the World took time to break bread with everyday people!

And then Jesus did an even more remarkable thing. He created the church. He invited many people to become a part of it. He lifted them up and cared for them and taught them and edified them – then instructed them to “go and do likewise.”

I think one of the primary reasons Jesus created the church was to keep his ministry of hospitality going. To me there are two reasons the church continues to be of value in the world today:

1.) It is awfully hard to BE a Christian in a vacuum. Christians need other Christians – for encouragement, inspiration, learning, to share joy and excitement, and to hold each other accountable. Those are the things that grow strong in community. BUT, they are often lost when you try to go it alone. Jesus once said, “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there also.” Now he wasn’t saying that he’s not there if it’s you and you alone. He was just saying that there is something special when two or more gather. It’s called community!

2.) It is almost impossible to BECOME a Christian in a vacuum. The Apostle Paul wrote, “How can people know about Christ if no one tells them about him?” You might be able to play solitaire on your own but it’s awfully hard to appreciate Jesus on your own.

Our scripture passage comes from Matthew 9. In the very next chapter Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs to share the Good News and to do ministry. AND in the two thousand years since that time he continues to rely upon us to keep that going.

I would love to know how many people around that dinner table in Matthew’s house became believers in Jesus that night. MORE importantly, I’d love to know how many people around our town might become believers because of our outreach to them!

This year I want our church to be about building ministries that will attract others to this church – that will in turn attract them to Jesus! I’ve coined it “Hospitality Evangelism”. It’s a simple concept. Have the church do everything it can to be hospitable to a hurting world and people we check us our more fully. When they do than we have a greater opportunity to show them Christ. (That’s evangelism!)

In this scripture we are told that Jesus traveled all through the towns and villages dong three things. All of them were hospitality based. 1.) He proclaimed the Good news of the Kingdom – inviting them to join up! He was getting the word out, making it exciting, and motivating people to hear the Good News. Wouldn’t it be great to hear some good news for a change? Most of what we hear these days is bad news. In Jesus there is good news!

2.) He taught in the synagogues. Teaching is simply helping people come to know Jesus better, to grow in understanding him, and to become better Christians. We call it Christian education, and when done well it makes big changes in people’s lives.

3.) He healed every kind of disease and illness. Now, most of us don’t have the spiritual gift of healing, BUT people hurt in many other ways – emotionally, financially, through dysfunctional families. Many are alone and lonely. Jesus was simply providing a ministry of helps. We can do the same thing right here in Plant City.

Here are some ways we can plan to do that:

1.) As we expand the Wesley Center we will be building ministries of outreach to children and their parents, and to youth and young adults. We’re talking about outreach ministries here not just the same old children or youth stuff.

2.) It would be great once we free up some space in the traditional building to develop an adult outreach center here. That might include everything from adult day care, to a food or clothing pantry, to feeding the hungry once a week. We are beginning to coordinate that effort with other churches nearby.

It’s all called hospitality ministries.

Let me tell you a true story about a man named Tim (not his real name). Tim became a friend of mine but before that he was a client of the church. He had come to the church because he was homeless and without work. Over time the church embraced Tim fully, helping him in many ways. The bigger problem was that Tim was an alcoholic – and the church did much to include him into the faith family. We helped him find work, invited him to worship, Sunday School class, the prayer group, the young adult group. Whenever Tim would fall we’d help pick him back up. He became a vital member of that faith community and while he continued to struggle with alcohol, Jesus and the church had a strong hold on him. The church simply reached out in hospitality!

Similar stories have been lived out in every church where believers reach beyond the doors to the lost, lonely, and loved. You see they are loved because while they may be lost and lonely, they are loved by God. And he asks us to be in ministry to them.

Let us join together this year in building ministries of hospitality that reach out to draw others in! Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 8. We will have a significant workshop on campus to begin looking at innovative adult ministries that will reach beyond what we are doing now. Please be in prayer about this and keep looking at this blog site for inspirational stories about hospitality ministries elsewhere.