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Message from Pastor Bill – February 2009
Relational Hospitality: Practicing Kindness
In the realm of relational hospitality, the apostle Paul had much in common with Jesus his Lord. For him as well as Jesus, meals were opportune times of special sanctity during which diverse persons could find their true humanity together in the presence of God. It was central to Paul’s gospel in illustrating that at meals and other social occasions believers should welcome one another as Christ had welcomed them by displaying not only relational hospitality but also kindness (Romans 15:7). The central theological rubric that shapes Paul’s thought is based on early Christian formation as it relates to understanding our baptism and God’s regenerative work concerning our sin. Paul says in Galatians 3:28 in understanding the transformative work of God in our baptism: "they have found themselves drawn into a new form of life where there is neither Jew nor Greek...neither slave nor free, neither male nor female." Out of diverse individuals one organism is being formed. Baptism, as the reception into the church, is the believer’s first welcome into his or her community home.
Through my many interesting conversations with congregants of St. Matthew, I have realized that no matter what race, culture, or even political views that humanity possesses, we are all social in nature. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "we are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an escapable network of mutuality." As we continue to explore the need for hospitality as found in the Gospels, early Christian church formation, and here at St. Matthew, let us explore relational hospitality—a commitment to receptivity, honesty, and kindness in our relational and social lives.
Such commitment is found through the acknowledgment of our sinful brokenness in our world and the yearning for God’s grace in the font of baptism. St. Matthew—being aware of our sinfulness, we can be liberated from inappropriate competition (since we are all broken) and be free to offer kindness to each other. By acknowledging our own sin as we approach the forthcoming Lenten season, we can be liberated from self-protection fueled by shame and can extend ourselves in vulnerability and kindness to one another. In our reflection and contemplation of Christ’s sacrifice for us and the acknowledgment of our sinfulness, we can strengthen our connection to those around us and eradicate the self-righteousness, entitlements and fears that prevent relational hospitality. Let us continue to practice this type of kindness until the final consummation as recorded in Matthew 8:11 when "many will come from east and west and sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." When this kindness happens, the boundaries of space and time that obscure God’s kingdom will dissipate.
Peace and Power,
Pastor Bill
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