Sermon – July 12, 2015

“Evangetality: Evangelism or Hospitality?”
Mark 1:16-20
Rev. Sandy Johnson
July 12, 2015

“At last year’s School of Congregational Development, Olu Brown, pastor of Impact Church in Atlanta, wowed the crowd with his portrayal of what he called “scout evangelism.” He remembering his high school days riding home on the bus after the football game. When the team buses would stop for the after-game fast-food meal, one guy would run in and check out the restaurant for its hospitality and ability to accommodate dozens of hungry players. If satisfied, he would go back to the door, swing it open wide, and with a big wave say, “C’mon in!” “You see, the restaurant didn’t have to impress everyone — just the scout who then brings others in; great hospitality motivates people to bring others with them.

“What is the relationship between hospitality and bringing in new people? The relationship between hospitality and evangelism can be seen in Jesus’s imperative: “Come, follow me . . . and I’ll show you how to fish for people.[1]” Throughout the New Testament we see what it means to follow Jesus, this loving man who welcomed children, who reached out to the marginalized, and invited all into a relationship of covenant, fellowship, and community.[2]”

In one story in Luke 14, Jesus told his followers a parable about a host giving a great dinner. He invited half the town, all of the movers and shakers, you know those folks, the “important” people. When it came time for dinner, the host sent out his slave to gather up those invited. Instead of coming to dinner, they made excuses. “I have to wash my hair!” Ok, they didn’t say that! In fact one said that he had just bought a piece of land and needed to go see it; another said he had just bought five new yoke of oxen and he needed to try them out; another was a newlywed and couldn’t be bothered.

The slave returned to the master and told him about his dinner guests. The host was angry but sent his slave out a second time, this time to ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.[3]’ The slave did as he was told and filled up over half of the dining room. There was room for more! So the slave was sent out a third time and instructed to ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that [the] house may be filled.[4]’ And he did.

Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees and scribes. They complained that Jesus was cavorting with tax collectors and sinners, and not only that, he was sharing a meal with them! Imagine! Hospitality comes when we persistently invite and extend the invitation to others, in spite of what others think.

In this scripture “Luke points to the powerful connection between evangelism (reaching and relating to “outsiders”) and hospitality (welcoming and a shared meal). As Robert Schnase observed, “Jesus radically challenges the disciples’ expectations by overstepping boundaries to invite people in. Hospitality has us seeing people as Jesus sees them and seeing Jesus in the people God brings before us” (Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007], 13).

To “follow Jesus” is to be hospitable! It is to welcome, invite, reach out, and treat all with loving respect, especially the stranger or outsider. For the church, it means creating a culture that mirrors the character and life of Jesus.[5]”

I believe we are especially good at hospitality here at our church. Every church says they are welcoming and show hospitality. I believe we really are welcoming, not just because it is in our mission statement, but in reality as new people find their way into relationships with God through our congregation. We can all probably tell a story about the time when you were visiting another city and you visited a church on Sunday morning, only to feel isolated as you were ignored and almost made to feel invisible. JJ and I visited a church in Las Vegas many years ago when Calvin and Claire were young. We dropped Calvin off at the 3 yr. old classroom and headed to the nursery to deposit Claire, so we could go into worship. When we arrived at the nursery there was no one there, so we waited. While we were waiting other families came and dropped off their children…with us! No nursery attendant ever came and we spent the morning tending to babies rather than being warmly welcomed into worship.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that here. Last year when the “secret shopper” came to worship we got excellent marks for our genuine hospitality. If anything we may be too hospitable if that’s possible. I know some folks are uncomfortable with too much familiarity too quickly. I do know that guests who come in on Sunday morning are warmly welcomed and invited into worship with us, not as a bystander or outsider, but as one of us. Where we need improvement and motivation is in inviting, in evangelism; in sharing the love of Christ with our family and friends and not hesitating to be persistent, in spite of what others think.

“The relationship between hospitality and evangelism is found throughout scripture, but it isn’t prescriptive. That is, there isn’t any place where scripture prescribes the practice in terms of “Here’s how to do it.” But it’s narrative; that is, when we read powerful stories we can actually and easily see where the two go hand in hand.”

One narrative is told in 2 Kings about Elisha and the Shunammite woman. Do you know this story? Elisha was passing through the town where a wealthy woman lived. She invited him to have a meal with her family and he did. Elisha passed by their home regularly so she asked her husband to make a small room for him with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp so that he could not only have a warm, home cooked meal when he was traveling, but also a comfortable place to stay. Anyone here ever put on an addition to their home to be hospitable to a holy man or woman?

Next “let’s consider Romans 16, an entire chapter where Paul lists the hall-of-fame evangelists of the early church, sending their greetings to the believers in Rome. Right in the middle we read, “Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings[6]” Many of these great people of the early church—responsible for the evangelistic spread of Christianity—were fueled by the hospitality of Gaius! Churches often mistakenly think their “hospitality” is a function designed to impress new folk, but when it becomes part of the culture of the church, it strengthens and encourages the foot soldiers! Great hospitality is a constant source of energy and inspiration to unleash the evangelistic spirit.[7]”

Some churches are “facing fatigue or low morale…the best way to begin a turnaround is to say “thank you” more, to create an atmosphere of genuine love, appreciation, respect, friendship, and hospitality within the church community. But if that’s all it is, then it drifts from its original purpose: loving the outsider. Jesus asked Matthew, “And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?[8]” But showing love to outsiders—now that is a differentiator! That begins to set God’s people apart from others and becomes Christian community instead of a churchy clique!

“What causes this inward drift away from “loving others” to “loving us”? Perhaps it’s simply human nature to be comfortable with those we already know; perhaps this drift is caused by our reluctance to risk hospitality and reach out for Christ. [9]”

Hospitality as described in the New Testament from the Greek means literally “love” and “stranger.” It is not an imperative to love our families, but to love the stranger, we are instructed to focus on loving others and as Hebrews 13:2 says “2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

“For sure, be diligent in loving each other, says Hebrews, but be cautious of changing the focus from “others” to “us”! Be intentional in avoiding drifting away from loving the outsiders as well. This intentionality is behind the thrust of movements within United Methodism, such as the Healthy Church Initiative, to move churches from being “inward focused” toward becoming “outward focused. I think we are doing well here also.

“Theologically we are reminded that once all of us were “outsiders” alienated from Christ and Christian community: “At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God.[10]”

“The good news of course is that Christ—through his hospitality—invites us to his table of fellowship through salvation. Jesus makes room for us at the table of fellowship and community. Through hospitality we experienced it . . . through evangelism we share it!

“Steven Childers, church growth expert from Reformed Theological Seminary, asserts that “The key to evangelism in the 21st-century [is] . . . hospitality[11]” “If hospitality is truly the key, here are three helpful principles that tie hospitality to evangelism:

Principle #1. If we follow Jesus, we’ll be hospitable like he was . . . and we’ll fish like he did too![12]” Jesus went out into the world and met people where they were. He was kind, welcoming, respectful and loving. We are called to be like Jesus, every day.

“Principle #2. Fish first in the pond you know best. Top-rate hospitality is essential to get that random first-time guest to become a regular repeat attender. Often your own local church is the best place to begin to get proficient at fishing for Christ[13]!” We talk often about FRAN (friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors) – those people closest to us, those who are the first to extend the love and welcome of Jesus Christ.

“Principle #3. Fishermen who love to fish, love to fish in new waters! Practice hospitality evangelism in your own church first, but let the Holy Spirit pull you into fishing new waters. The love of fishing like Jesus, will spur us to begin to fish in newer, different, deeper waters: at the office, in the neighborhood, and at other places of natural relationships.

“A colleague of mine recently went for the first day at his new church. He took along his eleven-year-old adopted special-needs daughter. The church folk didn’t know him and didn’t know about her. They could easily have displayed an awkward or standoffish nature, excluding her. Yet the folks in this small rural church proved to be loving, welcoming, and accepting. He couldn’t help but smile at his daughter’s response. She leaned back in his office chair and said, “I like it here; this smells like God!”

“A clear, compelling culture of hospitality is alive. It stands out. It is noticeable. It reaches out, invites, welcomes, and finds a place at the table for the outsider. It is “felt” more than “seen.” Often, it can’t be defined or described, but people “just know it.” [14] We may not be able to say what effective hospitality and evangelism look like, “but I can tell you what it smells like: God.”[15]

Let us pray: Gracious God, thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ. Give us the courage and the passion to share this good news and that through hospitality we will experience it and through evangelism we will share it with our community. Amen.