Wasn't today's sermon awesome?! If any of you missed it, definitely check it out when it's posted on http://www.newjoychurch.com/sermons/. Here's some highlights I got:
I think I could write a blog post about each one of these points! :P So good. I was looking up the spelling of the word "philoxenia" and found someone else's blog post about hospitality that I think is worth sharing.. You can read the entire post, but I thought this part was particularly insightful:
- We think of hospitality as service [to others], but it is an essential virtue of a true Christian.
- God loves to feast! To host his presence is to practice hospitality.
- How we treat strangers is a litmus test of our hearts towards God. (Matthew 25:34-46)
- Satan works against hospitality because it is the way to people's salvation. To be hospitable to others is to welcome the presence of God, and wherever God's presence is, people get saved!
- It's better to reach out [to strangers] and be rejected, than for strangers to never feel wanted.
- Like children in a family, strangers and newcomers should never be the center of our world, but should be welcomed and included as a part of the family.
- Let's be extravagant in our hospitality, just as we should be extravagant in hosting God in our lives.
- Extravagance is not about the amount of resources you offer, but the manner (heart) in which you offer your resources.
I think I could write a blog post about each one of these points! :P So good. I was looking up the spelling of the word "philoxenia" and found someone else's blog post about hospitality that I think is worth sharing.. You can read the entire post, but I thought this part was particularly insightful:
I think there is a huge difference between "hospitality" and "entertainment." There is a place for both, but one should not confuse one with the other.
"Entertainment" is the huge bash a family might put on for Thanksgiving, going all out for days to prepare a fabulous meal with all the trimmings, decorating the house and setting a table to celebrate. It requires a tremendous amount of expense and work (especially for mom!), but provides a special time for all the guests. Think, "Martha Stewart!"
"Hospitality" on the other hand is a simple inviting of a person (or family) to join you in your everyday meal. It has the feeling of "family." There isn't a huge imposition on you, other than maybe making the meal in a slightly larger quantity than you would have otherwise. Your guests are welcomed into your home to delight in a new-found relationship. The ultimate in hospitality would be to create a feeling where your guest would be comfortable enough to lie down on your couch for an after-meal nap! Obviously, that is an extreme example...but the idea is to create an environment that is genuine, comfortable, warm, inviting, and friendly. You are witnessing the love of Christ in a very direct manner. A person who feels comfortable is much more open to talking of things that are important...like the Gospel!
The guest who is being "entertained" will undoubtedly have a special time, but it is very unlikely he will feel comfortable. He won't feel like family; he will feel like a guest. And that's the whole point of hospitality. If you "love a stranger," he will feel the connection...like family.
