Genesis 18:1-8: The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on-since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of flour, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Hebrews 13:2: In The Letter to the Hebrews, the writer instructs a group of early Christians: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."
SermonHow would you react if three strange men had suddenly appeared at your door? Would you leap at the chance to entertain them? Would you run and bake the bread... or buy cookies? Who knows? Perhaps you would be entertaining angels without knowing it!
You may have heard of The Rule of St. Benedict. Actually, it's a whole book of rules to live by, but that's another story. The most famous rule is this, "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomes as Christ." Although this was written more than 1,500 years ago, the monks at Benedictine monasteries still take this admonition to welcome the stranger seriously. It's a part of their spiritual discipline to welcome all comers to their community, no matter how odd or unclean or poor. You can go to any Benedictine monastery unannounced and eat and even stay for a few days. For within you they say is a spark of the divine, as it was in Jesus. And by their radical hospitality, they hope to transform those who need transformation, to become more like Christ... or (if you prefer) to open their hearts to love.
Yes, I know what you must be thinking. In this modern and dangerous age, we don't dare to be so hospitable in our private homes. We don't dare to invite perfect strangers in for bread and water, let alone dinner! We'd be putting ourselves at such great risk.
Yet there is something in us that longs for that deep human connection... to be as hospitable as Abraham. To be on both the receiving and giving ends of such lavish hospitality. It is more than just the act that matters. It is the attitude of the open heart, an openness to a warm and friendly encounter with the other. For within all people is a mirror of that divine image. We all, in fact, have the potential to be angels. In the sanctuary of a religious community, that is a possibility which can be realized.
The idea of such gracious and radical hospitality as offered by Abraham goes far back in time, probably hundreds of thousands of years. Such radical hospitality is one of the most basic, simplest of spiritual practices. Travelers crossing the hot desert in fact did rely on others for their physical survival. Then offering bread and water really meant offering life. And recognizing the alien... the stranger... the other as a full human being worthy of care and respect was a huge step forward in our early development as civilized beings. The simple act of supplying food and water and perhaps a cool place to rest required an empathy which transcended family and clan. Giving and receiving such hospitality requires a spirit of mutual trust which goes beyond the mere act of offering a friendly greeting, a cup of water, coffee or tea and a piece of bread. How much is our Sunday morning coffee hour a derivation of this ancient custom?
Today, in the Middle East, being a gracious host is expected. For Moslems, it is a primary requirement. In the Koran, we read:
"Be kind to parents, and the near kinsman, and to orphans, and to the needy, and to the neighbor who is of kin, and to the neighbor who is a stranger, and to the companion at your side, and to the traveler... Surely God loves not the proud and boastful such as are niggardly, and bid other men to be niggardly, and themselves conceal the bounty that God has given them." Qur'an 4.36-37
American travelers in the Middle East will tell you stories of the most gracious hospitality extended toward them by even the poorest Moslem households. At a minimum, they are offered Turkish coffee and figs. If the family can afford it, foreign guests are urged to stay for a sumptuous meal. To refuse such hospitality is an insult.
Judaism also instructs people to be good hosts. A passage in the book of Leviticus reads: "You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." As a birthright Jew, I remember the many Passover Seders where we were reminded of our heritage of slavery in Egypt. The story was not only a lesson about God's saving powers and about liberation from oppression. It was also a lesson in humility. We were descended, after all, from a rag-tag bunch of former slaves. Therefore we couldn't claim superiority to anyone and should be concerned about the liberation of all people from oppression.
I remember how my mother loved to have guests over for Passover or for Sunday dinner. It was her special pleasure to invite them for a festive and sumptuous meal. The dining room table was set with fine bone china and silverware on a white linen tablecloth.
I went to college close to my hometown. I remember when I invited a classmate to come home for dinner, how my mother would greet my guest at the door with warm "Hello" and a kiss on the cheek... whether she knew the girl or not! Sometimes my friends would seem a little startled by such demonstrative behavior, but it was just Mom's way of being hospitable. It embarrassed me a bit, but I was also proud of her warmth and generosity of spirit. It was so genuine that, after the initial shock, it often made the guest smile.
This kind of warm, open-hearted hospitality encouraged by both the Book of Leviticus and The Rule of St. Benedict is radical hospitality. "Radical" means extreme or revolutionary or out of the ordinary. Surely if you were greeted with such spirit as my mother's, it would be out of the ordinary!
How do we greet our guests at the First Parish Church? I'm not saying we should go around kissing strangers. But are we intentional about welcoming them with open arms? Do we make them feel that they are honored, that we think they may be angels? And that, in all humility, we might gain as much from them as they get from us?
As the Unitarian Universalist minister Peter Morales writes, "hospitality, true hospitality, is not an obligation. It is not a duty. True hospitality is a spiritual practice, a religious practice. Like meditation or prayer, hospitality connects us with a deep truth and compassion that transcend our selves. Our sense of isolation and individualism is an illusion that cuts us off from what is real, true, loving and sacred in life..."
"A true religious hospitality reaches out to those we do not yet know. This can be as simple as greeting those seated near you on Sunday morning [which we do!] and working up the courage to talk to a stranger during coffee hour [which some of us do really well]. It means warmly welcoming those who come looking for a religious home. As Unitarian Universalists, we respect each person's search for truth and meaning. And as stewards of hospitality, we can stand ready to look at each other face-to-face, to see the divine in each person."
The real challenge, Morales reminds us, is "when we encounter people who appear to be different from ourselves. ... We need to practice openness to people who make us uncomfortable: people who come from a different ethnic group; people a lot older or younger; people who are gay, straight, or conservative; people who believe crazy things or are mentally ill. When we welcome what is uncomfortable we grow."
I'm happy that this congregation at First Parish has grown in diversity over the years. From what I understand, it has become a lot more open-minded than it was a decade or so ago. And like many urban churches, its demographics are changing ... with people of varying economic, social, racial and ethnic backgrounds. And although we haven't officially become a Welcoming Congregation, I'm glad to see that this is a place which is quite comfortable for gays and lesbians.
Of course, there has to be something more, something of substance to attract and hold people. Something remarkable about us as a congregation... some clear identity.
Offering a wonderful Sunday school program which encourages curiosity and compassion, exploration and ethical growth in our children is one way in which this church is remarkable. And sponsoring the new Silver City Meetinghouse radio program, promoting intelligent dialogue around local issues, is another way. A third way is our willingness to support Heifer International as proposed by our Sunday school children last week. A fourth is our willingness to let many community and cultural groups use our facility at a very reasonable rent.
When people get to know about us, our UU faith and how we apply it in our lives, they will know how we are indeed an Uncommon Denomination in a way that is both remarkable and admirable.
And I think several of you are doing a great job of being greeters both before and after the service at coffee hour. Yet I think we can do even better in welcoming the stranger. I'd like to see us be more intentional.
Many church leaders talk about "radical hospitality" but don't offer much in the way of real, concrete advice. However, in early January our District Executive sent out an article by Tom Bandy, a church consultant. This article is called "Layered Hospitality." I forwarded this to the board members and have a couple of copies here if you'd like to see it. Bandy offers practical suggestions about how congregations could do better in welcoming visitors or guests or seekers... whichever term you prefer.
Bandy talks about radical hospitality being "layered, opulent and pointed." What he means is that visitors should go through several layers of hospitality, both as they come to church and as they leave. Admittedly Bandy's article assumes a bigger congregation and a parking lot, but some of his suggestions are quite doable here in Taunton. For instance, have greeters offer more than just a bulletin and a hymnbook at the door, but special words of greeting and an invitation to stay for the coffee hour. Or set up a Welcome Center staffed by a volunteer who can give out brochures and answer some common questions about the church.
I'm not sure about his suggestion of handing out free toys to children and "useful lifestyle enhancing gift for adults." But it is easy enough to personally greet those under 10 or over 65. It is possible to order quantities of introductory CDs from the UUA or even to develop a special CD about First Parish Church to hand out. And to say "Goodbye. Thank you for coming." as visitors leave.
In the end, this congregation at First Parish Church has many gifts to share, gifts of the non-material kind:
Let us heed those words from Hebrews: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Amen and blessed be.