Hospitality Toward The Unhospitable

 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."  (Psalm 23:5 NIV)
"You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies." (Message version)

God shows hospitality to us even in the presence of our enemies.  Eugene Peterson's Message version says God doesn't just prepare a snack but a "six-course dinner" in front of them.  

Sometimes we don't want to have anything to do with our enemies.  We want them to stay on one side of the fence, and we'll be in the other.  But it seems that God wants to invite our enemies  into our presence because that means they can experience His presence.  For those who do not like God, this may mean that they see God blessing these folk and realize God is the great Blesser.  Sun Tzu is credited with saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."  But Jesus ate and drank with "sinners."  He came into their presence in order to draw them to Himself- if they would be drawn.  Frankly, it is easier to be in a holy huddle.  But your life is lived best when you are spreading the love.  This may mean taking the one who said bad things about you out for lunch or sending them a kind note.  It may be killing the enemy with kindness. 
Proverbs 25:21-22 (quoted by Paul in Romans 12:20) says, "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals upon his head, and the Lord will reward you."    Matthew 5:44 says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." 
     I have found this to be true.  There was an old cartoon about a coyote and a sheepdog- who clearly tried to hurt each other, but when their time clock went off- they clocked out and went back to their respective homes cordially- "good night Al- Good night!"  If you are kind to those who are not kind to you, it may not change their mind, but it assuages and softens things.    

Prayer: Lord, help me to find ways to be kind to those who are not so kind to me.  Soften our relationship with your love and your hospitality.  

Being Hospitable When You Don't Feel Like It

 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."  1 Peter 4:9

Why would Peter say such a thing?  Surely the early Christians who saw or heard Jesus never grumbled!  I think this could be translated, "Show hospitality even when you don't feel like it!"  Grumbling and complaining often happen when we don't feel we are being treated fairly or things don't happen the way we expect or feel they should happen.  
    One viral video that has been going ballistic this week is of two women fighting at a concert in Pittsburgh over who gets to use the porta potty first.  One claims another cut in front of her in line.  Now, this kind of thing is something we should have learned to handle in kindergarten!  Wait your turn.  Take your turn.  Put others before yourself.  As it was, neither got to use the toilet very fast because they were fighting each other.  Learning how to put others ahead of yourself even if you are inconvenienced is important.  It shows respect for others as human beings.  Serving others before yourself is in part what hospitality is all about.  Loving your neighbor is not just for the person who lives next door, but the person you meet in the grocery store line, or the hardware line, or even the porta-potty line.   
      But another point of this is it is possible to do something good and grumble about it the whole time you are doing it.  So Mary and Martha both welcomed Jesus to their home.  But Martha grumbled that Mary had quit helping and was sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Grumbling is not the Christian way.  We don't hear Jesus griping and complaining to the Father that He was about to die for the sins of people who often don't care, are apathetic, take His death for granted, or worse still continue to mess up.  Instead, you see Jesus weeping over the stubborn hearted in Jerusalem.  You even hear Jesus on the cross say of his crucifiers- "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." 
     Sometimes we may have a headache and providentially we have the opportunity to be hospitable.  Sometimes we are busy, or tired, or just want to relax.  This verse doesn't say, "Be hospitable to others as long as it is convenient to you."  In that sense, this is a tough verse!  But it is also a caring verse.  We are called to love others even when they don't deserve it.  
The way of the cross is not the grumbling way.  But it is a giving of oneself without complaint that changes our outlook, our attitude, our world.  

Prayer: Lord, let me give myself freely and willingly for others.  Let me put others above myself without even grumbling.  

Establish the Work of Our Hands

 17May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.

Thoughts: Toward the ends of their career or their life people ask, "What is MY legacy?"  What will people say of me after I am gone?  Some see clearly that their work and their life seems to be meaningless and constantly criticized by people who are being mean.  
    Work is a blessing.   The lack of employment and the corresponding rise in depression teaches us that.  It keeps us busy and from being so naval gazing. Usually it means having colleagues and accomplishing something- however big or small.  But work should not be our God.  
    What is your content threshold?  Do you find contentment in raising kids- like the salmon who has spawned, they feel they can die now in peace.  Or maybe you have built a huge chain of things- houses, a business,  a book (that will be outdated), money, boyfriends or girlfriends- and now you are finally content- or at least have no more energy to do anything else.  
     Believers know that the work of our hands is established not by people who are temporary.  In a few years- maybe ten maybe a hundred- for the very popular maybe a thousand.  Think how many remember the baseball records of the great founders of the game?  Who can name the 30th president without looking?  Who can name ten Roman emperors or five Pharaohs- much less the senators or priests?  
     Think of the great poem by Shelley- Ozimandias: 

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

     Indeed, look on his forgotten might and unestablished work and weep at the passing and ephemerality of  life.  However, there is a way that our lives can have meaning, make a difference, make a mark for eternity- by tying our lives to the eternal (no matter is not eternal- the Big Bang tells us there was a beginning- and a Beginner).  
    Psalm 91 that ends with "establish the work of our hands" begins with "Lord you have been our dwelling place from generation to generation."  Christ is the solid rock- all other ground is sinking sound.  Christ teaches us about love, forgiveness, and hope.  Hooking ourselves to the Northern Star of the eternal God- who is eternally love and eternally good (holy, light)- is the best way to establish our legacy- the work of our hands.  When our glory becomes a piece of His glory our work is meaningful and not in vain. 
    This Labor Day- may God give you hope that your labor in Christ is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) no matter what the rest say.  

Prayer: Lord, establish the work of my hands. May my hope be in your glory, not mine. 

Labor of Hospitality

 1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

3He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, ^a do not pass your servant by. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.9“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.“There, in the tent,” he said.10Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Abraham was full of hospitality,  He invited his nephew Lot to come with him and then gave him the choice of land.  Here, Abraham entertains angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2 may be referring to this passage).  Abraham shows the common ways of hospitality.  He treated them with respect, welcomed them and even encouraged them to come stay in his camp.  Then  he had water brought to refresh them, had Sarah work with him to prepare food, had a calf killed for them, along with curds and milk- the finest food of his nomadic life.  
     It usually takes work to be hospitable.  Today there is a whole industry called "The Hospitality Industry" made of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues.  But hospitality had its roots in the home.  It is still hospitality to go out together at a restaurant or put someone up in a hotel room when they come visit.  For many with big enough homes, hospitality centers around the places they live.  It is an invitation to see how we live, and to participate with us.  
       On this Labor Day weekend, let's think of inviting someone over to share in our lunch or watching the game.  What we find is, that in seeking to be a blessing to others, we ourselves will be blessed.  Abraham could not outgive God.  So next year he would have a son.  In entertaining other- and possibly angels- we will be blessed. 

Prayer: Lord, inspire me to be a person of hospitality- opening up my life to others. 

James Tissot (1836-1902), "Abraham and the Three Visitors"  thejewishmuseum.org
 

Embrace Hospitality

 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavenst. a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.  (Ecclesiastes 3:1,5a)

Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."  (Matthew 29:19-20)

God is a welcoming God.  He wants all people from all areas, all nations, tribes, and languages to come to Him.  The Bible says that Jesus (God in the flesh) came to His own- the ones He made- and they did not receive Him.  God loves us, and wants to embrace us and have us embrace Him.  He wants to be our God and for us to be His people. 
    Why is this important?   The love of God is why we are here.  It is the reason we are called not only to love God, but to love our neighbors as ourselves.  In the love of God we find our identity.  We are made out of love- in His image.  
    For the next few months I will be blogging regularly on the need to embrace God and each other.  As we embrace each other- we are to remember we are not only to embrace our family but even people of a different culture.  We are called to be people of love- reaching out beyond ourselves. 
     In our society we find we are consumed with ourselves.  We have a consumeristic mentality- where we judge everything by how it can help us.  Many even believe they have a right to decide if God is good or even exists by whether God has helped them the way they want to be helped in life.  In contrast God calls us to get beyond ourselves to respect others, love others, and therefore be missionaries of God's love.  

Prayer: Lord, strengthen me to love others- to embrace you and others.  Help me to put you above myself. 

July 17, 2023 "I Came Here to Do Something"

7-16-23 “I Came In Here to Do Something….?” 2 Kings 7:1-11 (Unison);  Romans 8:1-11     
Sermon Preached by Rev. Dr. J. Ben Sloan at Eastminster Presbyterian in Columbia, SC, USA

 I heard a comedian once speak of turning middle aged.  He said when you turn middle aged your brain starts having some electrical shorts So you walk into a room intent on doing something but when you get into the room you forget why you came in there.  Fortunately, he said there is this button that God has invisibly installed on your backside.  So when you go back to sit down, you press the invisible button and you remember why you were supposed to go into the room. 
    Many people illustrate this in their lives.  At one point they had a purpose- a reason- that motivated them forward, but then when they got to some point, they got distracted, or they just forgot what their purpose is.  We are not here by accident.  We are the Bible and shorter catechism says, put here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.   That is our purpose.  We are not here to be made comfortable, to be entertained, to waste our lives.  Don’t get me wrong, God also put us here to enjoy life- which is part of enjoying Him.  But God does not exist just for our own comfort.  We exist for His pleasure.  Our passage says that those who live according to the flesh- as if there is no God- no spiritual sense at all- have their minds set on the what the flesh desires- whatever their feelings dictate.  He says the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God and is death.   Gang violence is death; abuse of our bodies leads to death; not valuing others made in God’s image- thinking you have the right to shoot them- is death; the way of selfishness is the way of death.  The way of Christ is the way of life.  You and I in this room are stewards of the Good News- that there is a way of life.  There is a way to eternal life- and it begins right now. 
      I love this story from 2 Kings 7.  The people were starving to death in a siege of their city.  They had run out of food.  People were becoming desperate for food. The king was mad at God for the disaster- and wanted to kill Elisha- God’s prophet. Elisha told them they would have more food than they could handle by the next day.  No one believed him. 
     But two lepers totally separate said, we’ll climb over the wall and go to the Arameans and surrender, but at least eat.  But when they climbed over the wall- they realized whole Aramean army had fled out of fear of an illusion- the army thought they heard horses and chariots.  So, the lepers were just having a feast on all the food the enemy army left behind.  Only when they were full did they begin to think of those in the city still starving to death.  The people were starving to death- but they didn’t need to starve. They didn’t know the good news that the army had left a feast on just the other side of the wall.  There was abundant food for everyone.   The lepers finally went back and the people didn’t believe them at first.  But finally they realized what happened and there was a stampede out of the city to get food.  We are called to not keep good news to ourselves.  The world is starving for hope and good news- we have it, and we don’t need to keep it all for ourselves. 
           The United States surgeon general said that loneliness is an epidemic in America.  It is aggravated by staring at cell phones even in the presence of family and others; and loneliness and isolation was aggravated by Covid.  But now the pandemic is over, and people are still left with loneliness.  One leading Psychiatrist, Daniel Amen (known for his 11 brain clinics and 12 NYT best sellers) said there is one simple step we can take- go to church or go back to church!  Church is the place where we learn to love one another- despite our imperfections and differences.  We want to love them by helping them physically, and mentally- but the church has something to say no one else can say.  No government agency can say it.  No civic club will say it.  We are the only ones who can say that there is a way beyond the grave for sure.  We know it is sure because our leader- Jesus has already made it through the tunnel of death and came back to tell us that it is ok.  He has been over the wall- and the enemy is gone- there is a way to life.  No one else will dare to say that there is life on the other side of the wall of death- but us.    We have a purpose- we have come into this generation- with this knowledge and this love in our hearts to tell others of the Great Love that can give life- now, and in the life to come- that is Jesus.   So how do you share faith?  Pray for others who say they do not believe or will not go to worship (Ro. 10:1); Identify with Christ (Ro. 1:16)- put an Eastminster magnet on your car, or say you go to Eastminster on your about info on social media; Then invite folks when you have the opportunity;  Be ready to share your story (testimony) of why Christ is important to you and then look for opportunities to do so; Know the Gospel and be ready to share it and look for an opportunity so share that Christ died for our sins on the cross.  
     We also are urged by Paul in this passage to set our minds in the right place.  The selfish person has their mind set on what they can get- more stuff, better stuff, fancier stuff.  The spiritual person has their mind set on what they can give- how can I love, how can I serve God better.  Your mindset is how you make sense of the world.  If you make sense of the world only by what you can touch and see- then you are leaving out faith, hope, and love.  Carol Dweck is a Psychologist at Stanford and recently wrote a bestselling book called “Mindset- How to fulfill your potential.”  KJV Prov. 23:7 (As a man thinketh so is he.”  God cares not just about our actions and words, but also about our thoughts.  One of Kay’s and my verses for the year is Philippians 4:8 which says, “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.”  If we practice this way of thinking it changes us.   Pray, Identify, Invite, Be ready. Live the life (last)
     I am so excited to be the pastor for missions- and outreach for the next year.  I am excited that we can build a church building in Mexico where the church is outgrowing its buildings.  As someone who has come back to Eastminster after many years of ministry- I can say I am so proud of how this church cares for the hungry, the homeless, the hurting all around us.  I am so grateful to be a part of a church that doesn’t think only of itself, and to have pastors who lead in this way.  I hope you are excited too.  Let us look into how we can set our mind on the Spirit  I am excited that in this post covid time- we can come together and invite other people over the wall to join us in the feast of God.  

July 4- Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord

 The fourth is behind us, but many of us are still celebrating at the beach or mountains, or hearing leftover fireworks.  

At worship on July 2, one of the elders and I quoted Psalm 33:12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."  Some would say this only applies to Israel, but the word "nation" in Hebrew is purposefully neutral (haggow)- which could be translated "any nation."  In fact, the Psalmist wants "all the earth to fear and revere him" (vs. 7).  The idea is that it is great to know who God really is.  He is not an idol, or some self-help advisor to help us feel more comfortable.   It is not a call to theocracy but a call to believe and be blessed.  

In some Christian circles, we have been so embarrassed by the sins of the church, that we become paralyzed, or even ashamed to be who God calls us to be.  There are many who are embarrassed of "Christendom" as they call it.  But, as the Psalmist points out, there is joy, hope, strength, and energy found in knowing God.  No church, people, or religion is perfect on this side of heaven.  But when we purposefully choose to follow God, let us follow not half-heartedly.  Revelation condemns lukewarmness.  Jesus said to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness."   When we live as if our faith does not matter, the world sees.  Instead of being inspired to be better, the world yawns at half-heartedness.  

Historically, when the church is lukewarm and half hearted, the mores of society dissolve.  The vacuum of meaning will seek to be filled by other things- like drugs, or gangs, or sexual licentiousness.  But when the people of God focus, the world becomes better.   

Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation."  Salvation is not just what comes when we die, but we are saved from a life of meaninglessness, depression, inability to know who we are or why we are here.  Faith in Christ has historically changed the world for better- improving education, health care, family life in this life.  Jesus said, "I have come to give you life, and have it abundantly."  That life is now, and we can pray and work for  His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.  None of us is perfect, and no church is perfect, but that should not paralyze us into lukewarmness or to slack off.  The world needs Christ.  I know that because I need Him- and I'll bet you know that because you also know you need Him.  It is indeed a blessing for me, for my family, for my community, for my nation, and even for the world to know the love, grace, faith, and hope of Christ.