Rev. Steven Davis's picture

Rev. Steven Davis

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Radical Hospitality - September 25 2011 Sermon

 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. (Romans 12:9-16)
 
 
 
     I noticed something strange last Friday when I saw a police officer standing with the school crossing guard. I found out why the next day, and it's the sort of news story you notice as a parent. According to the Welland Tribune, on Thursday a woman in her 60's, driving a grey and silver car with a dog stopped two children outside Steele Street School and told them that they looked sick and they should get in her car so that she could take them to the hospital. Fortunately, a staff member at the school saw what was happening and approached the car and the woman drove away quickly. But the Niagara Regional Police want to find her. I hope they do. Having a daughter at that school, it's a story that gets under my skin, and it makes today's Scripture passage even more challenging than it would already be. “Extend hospitality to strangers,” Paul wrote. The words grate, if we're all going to be perfectly honest about it, and it's the presence of the word “strangers” that really makes us cringe. We've been conditioned by our society not to trust strangers. We hear stories like the one in the news on Friday, the phrase “stranger danger” has entered our lingo, and one of the first things we teach our children is “never talk to strangers.” So, just maybe, here's where disciples of Christ have to make a choice between the gospel and the world. Are we able to set aside the fear that's been pumped into us about people who are different than we are? In the Book of Hebrews we're told “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” That's a verse that's hard to understand, but it might just mean that how we react to those “strangers” around us might in some way be a test of our faith, if you will. And I wonder if we realize that by extending “hospitality to strangers” we may well be touching someone in ways that we never thought possible? But it's tough to trust strangers. We're not supposed to do it.  We're not supposed to invite them into our lives or into our homes. But sometimes, when we risk that contact, something amazing and inexplicable happens.
 
     It was about 2:00 in the morning on July 7, 1994. I remember the date very well. I had moved to my first pastoral charge less than a week earlier, and I had been up late preparing to conduct my first funeral since being ordained. I had just gone to bed, and within an hour or so of my head hitting the pillow, there was a pounding on the door of the manse. I quickly threw on a robe and ran to the door. There were three teenage boys (maybe 17 years old) who had a wild look about them. One of the boys said “are you the pastor?” I reluctantly said “yes.” He pointed to their car and said “my girlfriend's in the car and she has the devil in her. You have to pray over her.” Unfortunately, they really don't teach much about exorcism at United Church colleges. I told them to wait for a  minute, then went back to the bedroom and told Lynn there might be trouble and to keep the door closed and not come out, because something strange was going on. I got on the phone and called the RCMP. “I have three teenagers at the door who are talking about being possessed by the devil. There might be some trouble.” The officer said to bring them into the house and put them on the phone. Really? They do things differently in Newfoundland! OK. I did. One boy took the phone, talked for about 30 seconds, hung up, looked at me and said “she says if it happens again I should see a psychiatrist, but what do you think I should I do about my girlfriend.” Big help the RCMP was! Now it's back in my court! “What makes you think your girlfriend has the devil in her,” I asked. “Because she won't kiss me – and if she touches the Bible her skin will burn.” With that, I heard the door open. It was the allegedly devil-possessed teenage girl entering. I briefly considered handing her a Bible to demonstrate that her skin wouldn't burn, but then I wondered what I would do in the one in a million chance that it did? No Bible. They seemed sincere. They were frightened. They needed help. We talked for about two hours, as they were getting more and more frantic. Finally one of them said, “Pastor, pray over all of us. The devil's here!” That seemed reasonable. So I did. One by one I prayed for them all to receive the peace of God and to be delivered from whatever was holding them in bondage. Immediately all of them stood up. They were calm. The three boys shook my hand and the girl gave me a big hug, then they thanked me and left. For the longest time I assumed it had been a big joke on the new minister. Two years later, we were talking with the Pentecostal Youth Pastor and his wife. I shared the story with them. He looked at me with wide eyes. “That was you?” “Yes,” I said hesitantly. “One of those boys was a member of our Youth Group,” he said. “He told me what happened the next day and said he went to the pastor for prayer and everything was OK. I thought he meant our pastor. But it was you. He was really grateful for what you did.” From that incident I got a new job. The Senior Pentecostal Pastor told me if he ever had anyone possessed by the devil he'd send them to me because I had now performed one more exorcism than he ever had. I said “Thanks.” I really didn't want the experience again!
 
         Sometimes strangers are scary. It's true. Sometimes they don't act or talk in ways we easily understand. But when we choose to take the risk of reaching out, we can touch a life for the better. Sometimes “strangers' can even turn out to be pretty good friends! That was a lesson learned for me, and it made me more understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote “extend hospitality to strangers.” Only when we do that are we really able to demonstrate that the love of Christ has meaning to us. But it's hard, because we're not supposed to trust “strangers.” The result of that is that rather than challenge ourselves to live up to the gospel, more often than not we water down the gospel to accommodate our own fears and our own society's ideas.
 
     If the word “hospitality” gets mentioned today, we know what we're talking about. We're talking about having friends over, and having a beautifully set table and a delicious dinner. We're talking about having an open door policy for the people we're comfortable having around us. We're talking about being welcoming at any time of the day or night – to the people we like. We're talking about happily spending time with the people we're happy to spend time with. That's hospitality as defined by the modern world and even as thought of by many Christians. The problem is that it's about as far removed from Christian hospitality as you can get. Let me give you a couple of biblical thoughts that will get us a little closer to the true meaning of Christian hospitality.
 
     In James we read these words: “... practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favouring one person over another. For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes. Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, 'Please have a seat.' But you say to the poor man, 'Stand over there,' or 'Sit on the floor at my feet.'Aren't you discriminating against people ...” We, of course, would say that we would never do such a thing, but I know of churches where people have sat down and been told to move because they were sitting in someone's pew.  And how comfortable and welcoming a place are we for “strangers” who walk in who don't have a lot of money or who don't have the nicest clothes? How welcoming are we of those “strangers” who don't seem to have much to give to us? How far have we fallen away from the understanding that we aren't here to receive from people but rather because God has given us something that He wants us to share with people – and with all people. Real hospitality, you see, means giving and not receiving. It means giving to those who may least expect you to give to them. That's not just Christian hospitality; that's Christian love.
 
     In Luke's Gospel, Jesus gave this advice: “When you invite people to lunch or dinner, don't invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbours. Otherwise, they will return the favour. Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. Then you will be blessed because they don't have any way to pay you back.” Here's another lesson. Real hospitality means actively reaching out to the less fortunate and looking to welcome them into our midst; it doesn't just mean sitting back and being ready to welcome them if they should happen to come. It means being aware of those with needs – whatever the needs are – and being confident enough to tell them that they'll be welcome in this place; that while we won't solve all their problems, we can offer them a sense of belonging, a sense of community, a sense – dare I say it – of family. Isn't that what the church is supposed to be? Not a club for the piously religious, but a family for those with broken hearts or spirits. Not a place where people will be judged and told that they don't measure up, but a place where they'll be told the most precious truth of all – God loves them and God by His grace accepts them. That's not just Christian hospitality; that's Christian love.
 
     That's what it's about.  Christian hospitality isn’t about what you see in some of those magazines that are sold in supermarkets around holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's not about glittering, glamorous table settings or platters of picture-perfect food; or people dressed in their best. It's not at all about that. It’s about practicing servanthood. It’s about loving others through Christ and making people feel special – even the “strangers” among us. Kathy Sharp wrote, “Just think: If Christians would practice true hospitality, we could play a significant part in changing our corner of the world. ... God can use people like you and me to touch lives. ... When we practice hospitality, we have the opportunity to touch lives in an intimate, personal way. Be bold: God has not only given you the roof over your head, but also will give you the love and wisdom needed to open your home to others. With a little planning and preparation and a good measure of prayer you can be prepared to share your home with friends, neighbours, and even the strangers God may send your way.” She's right. As part of God's family, this church is our home. Do we our our doors open to everyone without question or judgment? I hope so, because that's not just real hospitality – that's radical hospitality! That's what Jesus did!
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