John 10:1-10
1"I
tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the
gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2The
man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
3The
watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4When
he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his
sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5But
they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from
him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
6Jesus
used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was
telling them.
7Therefore
Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8All
who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
listen to them. 9I
am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in
and go out, and find pasture.
10The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.
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...So there I was, attending a workshop this weekend focused on how to be a
better speaker and teacher, and especially how to teach others to be good
speakers and teachers, and our very own Blanche Farnam asked the group to
do something that really made me think. She asked us to give one word that
we felt was most exciting about our local church. "The most exciting
thing?" I asked myself. Music? Yes, we have an outstanding music program,
but that's not it. Spirituality? Yes, we as a group are very spiritual
people who yearn to grow closer to God, but that's not it either. Growth?
Yes, we are all interested in growing in faith as well as in number, but
that's not it. Anyway, several things went through my mind, and a word
popped in that rang very true for me: hospitality.
Now, hospitality can mean many things. For us as Christians, it definitely
means creating a welcoming, warm, inviting church home. We do this
extremely well at our little church, so well in fact that we tend to make
visitors and new members feel like kings and queens in our midst! And that
is as it should be. It takes a bit of time for newer folks to observe that
every visitor or new member is treated similarly, and hopefully they are
touched and humbled by it...it is a wonderful, natural gift that we have as
a body and share so generously with others, this gracious ability to make
others feel welcome.
But Christian hospitality is much, much more than this, and I believe God is
challenging us today to grow further into our potential in this regard. If
we follow Christ's example, then hospitality is far more radical. It is
a hospitality that not only welcomes those who come to us, that not only
invites one and all to join us; it is a hospitality that reaches out and
brings love and care and grace to people where THEY are. It is
a graciousness that seeks out those who feel alienated and isolated, and
becomes part of THEIR world, their life...a graciousness that is willing to
be the stranger, and to care for the other from that standpoint. It is
a love that seeks to know, to touch, to understand, to serve, to stand
up and speak out for.
There are a thousand scriptures that speak to this kind of welcome, this
kind of servanthood, this kind of hospitality. The story of the Good
Samaritan is a great one. Also the Prodigal Son, the story of Jesus and the
woman at the well, every healing Jesus performed in which he touched the
wounds of another and looked into their eyes, every dinner with a sinner to
which Jesus invited himself. The scriptures that we will discuss
together are a bit more complex, but rich in meaning: John 10:1-10 and Acts
2:42-47.
I encourage you to take some time in
prayer this week and read these scriptures. As you do, may
God touch you and speak to your heart the message you most need
to hear.
Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn
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