SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, welcome to day 19 of 21 Days of Prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Kayla here.
SPEAKER_00: Today we're talking about making room for hospitality.
SPEAKER_00: We're reading out of Genesis 18, verses 1 through 5.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
SPEAKER_00: He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.
SPEAKER_00: When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
SPEAKER_00: Let a little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on, since you have come to your servant.
SPEAKER_00: I visited the Great Notre Dame in Paris my sophomore year of college.
SPEAKER_00: I was severely jet lagged, as the only day for us to sightsee was the day we arrived in Europe, but it was impossible not to be awestruck by the cathedral's grandeur.
SPEAKER_00: Gazing up at the centuries-old ceiling and its hand-painted stars, it's easy to see how someone could stand in that building and be captivated by a great creator.
SPEAKER_00: What if I told you that the four walls of your home, your apartment, your RV, if you're adventurous, have the same power?
SPEAKER_00: While it might not have the splendor of a cathedral, and there is nothing inherently holy about plaster, paint, and a long oak table, it too can be the meeting ground between your neighbors and the living God.
SPEAKER_00: The word hospitality doesn't usually bring to mind the life-changing biblical practice.
SPEAKER_00: Often when we think of hospitality, we think of a Martha Stewart tablescape, turned down service, and expectations we can never live up to.
SPEAKER_00: True hospitality is much more simple.
SPEAKER_00: One of the earliest pictures of hospitality in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 18, when Abraham greets the three strangers by the Oaks of Mamre, right after his circumcision.
SPEAKER_00: Later in this passage, it's clear that these are no ordinary men, as they prophesy of Sarah birthing Isaac.
SPEAKER_00: However, there is no indication that Abraham knows this when they arrive.
SPEAKER_00: To him, he sees three people walking toward his campground and jumps at the opportunity to make them feel welcome.
SPEAKER_00: He invites them to kick their feet up, enjoy some food, and stay a while.
SPEAKER_00: There's something different about Abraham's hospitality.
SPEAKER_00: We don't see many expressions of this kind of kindness in our present day outside of the stereotypical bed and breakfast owner in a Hallmark film.
SPEAKER_00: If we can be honest, many of us don't think of hospitality as an opportunity to serve people, but rather to impress them.
SPEAKER_00: This misses the point.
SPEAKER_00: As author Shauna Nyquist remarks, true hospitality is when someone leaves your home feeling better about themselves, not better about you.
SPEAKER_00: We don't need to overcomplicate it.
SPEAKER_00: Hospitality can be as simple as folding chairs, paper plates, and a big pot of spaghetti.
SPEAKER_00: The life-changing part of this practice is our power to treat everyone at the table like a valuable image-bearer of God.
SPEAKER_00: If you feel tempted to shrug off hospitality as one more thing your calendar can't afford, remember, not everyone will accept an invitation to church, but almost no one will refuse an invitation to dinner.
SPEAKER_00: There at your kitchen table, on your front porch, or in your living room, you can make room for your neighbors to encounter their great creator.
SPEAKER_00: Take a moment today to reflect on a person or people in your life you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to invite into your home for a meal.
SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, you are the greatest host, the epitome of a hospitable presence.
SPEAKER_00: As we start this new year, give us open hands when it comes to our calendar and our home so that we can make room for our neighbors.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER_00: We can't wait to see you tomorrow for day 20 of 21 Days of Prayer.