Heya! I’ve decided to start sharing my notes from church here, just in case anyone’s been looking for extra reading materials on a casual Sunday afternoon, or perhaps a weekday refresher. ♡ We’re currently in a series focusing on hospitality, and this is week 5. I don’t have a ton of notes this time, so I will put the link to the service at the bottom if you’d like to hear the full sermon! I probably won’t go back and do the previous weeks, as my life has been pretty crazy and I would rather focus on what’s next. So here’s a little summary 🙂
Recap:
Week 1 – The local church should be the most hospitable organization in the world.
Week 2 – Hospitality can be dirty. But that is no excuse to treat it as if it is below us – Jesus himself washed feet.
Week 3 – Hospitality doesn’t discriminate. It exists for the sake of serving everyone, and should be offered by everyone.
Week 4 – Hospitality calls you by name. It calls to the recipient’s individual needs and struggles. It is personal.
Week 5 – You have to be present, and you must be persistent.
Hospitality Week 5 – Present & Persistent
These are the verses we started out with to put the message into perspective.
(Job 6:14, Proverbs 17:17, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:16, John 15:12-13, Galatians 5:14, Galatians 6:2, Philippians 4:9, Hebrews 13:16)
There’s many stories in the Bible that display and instruct on hospitality, but the one we’re focusing on most today is the story of Martha and Mary’s interaction with Jesus.
Service fulfills what is expected, but hospitality comes from the heart.
Martha was practicing service.
Mary was practicing hospitality.
“Service is black and white. Hospitality is in color.”
- Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality
11 Madison Park
The owner was determined to make his restaurant the best in the world. The food was good, prepared and displayed well, and the service was excellent. But when he added hospitality into their practices, it took them to the next level and he eventually achieved his goal of being ranked best in the world. The owners advice is:
“Care about everything you’re doing now more than what you’re doing next.” (Paraphrased bc he was talking too fast)
“Service is effectively fulfilling the base level promise. Hospitality is how you make the people feel when you provide that service.”
- Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality
One last verse we’ll turn to today is Romans 12:9-13.
Of all the ways to conclude his message here, Paul emphasizes the importance of hospitality as his last remark. In just one command, consisting of just two words: Practice hospitality. Short, sweet, simple. Because it is simple.
The Message Bible’s version of this command is “Be inventive with hospitality.” Find different ways you can be hospitable – because there is no one cure-all. Different situations require different approaches. For example: if you know someone who is a drug addict or serial gambler, supporting them financially likely isn’t the best route. Maybe what they need is a hug, conversation, or even just a simple meal. Keep in mind that caring for someone is NOT enabling their bad habits because you don’t want to offend them. Being there for them does NOT mean you need to be a doormat, but rather a safe place. Someone they know they can trust will tell them the truth without judgement, who they can rely on when things get rough, and who will listen when life is just too much.
And hospitality doesn’t end with the people we know. Hospitality is for everyone, and that includes strangers. Maybe that means stopping to talk, maybe that means buying them a meal, maybe that just means a genuine smile and compliment in passing. Never underestimate the power of kindness – it is one of the best ways to keep your mind aligned with Christ. It isn’t hard to choose love over hate if you know the grace you’ve received. You are no better than the struggling stranger you run into; don’t let your pride prevent you from passing on God’s love to others.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou
Additional afterthoughts:
Go read James 2. It’s very short, only 26 verses long, and speaks in depth on the necessity of hospitality as part of one’s faith. Very understandable and easy to read – I did it in one sitting as part of my Bible study today. Strongly recommend. 🙂
♡
Link to the sermon can be found here : Journey Church 2/2/25 🙂