Sunday 27th May – 9am Worship
Sermon Series: Radical Hospitality
Theme: Radical Hospitality for the rest of us
Bible Readings: Isaiah 58:4-9a
Preacher: Rev Phil Swain + Video
- During the mission planning process introduced to a tool called “Five practices of fruitful congregation”
- Radical Hospitality
- Passionate Worship
- Intentional Faith Development
- Risk taking mission & service
- Extravagant Generosity
- We as a church made a commitment to grow these practices in our congregation
- For the next 3 – 4 week we’re going to focus on the first of these … Radical Hospitality
In my research I have stumbled across an amazing organisation called “Radical Hospitality for the rest of us”
- Elizabeth Turman-Bryant
- “As I studied Christian hospitality, I read stories of people who felt called to live in hard neighbourhoods, opting out of the mainstream economy, devoting their days to serving the poor and living radically for God’s Kingdom.
- While such stories are inspiring, most Christians I know dismiss these folks as being radicals or having a special calling, often disregarding the Christian call to live out hospitality. This made me wonder: What does Christian hospitality look like for ordinary people who have families or full time jobs?
- What does this look like for ORDINARY church communities to welcome the strangers in their own neighbourhoods?
VIDEO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ-ztamQa5Q
Things that spoke to me
- Growing up as a missionary kid she knew what it was like being a strange person in a strange land.
- Have you had that experience?
- It doesn’t need to be in a foreign land … it could be just stepping into a different social circle … or age group … of subsystem that you are not used to.
- Table has always been a place of welcome. A place where slow down, let down their guards, tell stories and connect.
- A Place where she felt most alive
- Hospitality
- Biblical imagery (in which we will look at more next week)
- Hospitality in the Greek – love the stranger / foreigner
- Remember what it was like to be strangers in a strange land (Egypt) and therefore deal justly with those who are stranger in your land
- Early Church & Jesus teaching
- What does that mean for the whole world-wide problem of immigrants and those fleeing persecution
- (Look more of this in two weeks time)
- What does it mean for ordinary churches to live this out?
- 5 different churches
- Seven different traits
- Radically Hospitality must be modelled by the leadership and owned by the congregation
- Churches partner with “Bridge groups” who are already doing this
- Invite people into service and leadership
- Eat together
- Regular teaching and support to keep the vision alive
- Ecumenically Minded
- Space of Grace