Hospitality
Before you get down to business, be a good host.
Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant." They said, "Do as you have said." So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes." And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. - Genesis 18:1-8
Abraham did what most of us might never think of doing when encountering the agents of God. He fed them.
He thought of them and their needs first, and that is what hospitality is all about.
What better way to get on a person's good side than to attend to their needs?
That may sound manipulative, but it is the way stuff gets done. How many deals are made over dinner or drinks?
The Eucharist was born from the meal. Come let us feast together and hear the good news.
Since gathering together for a meal is so easy for many of us to do, perhaps that is the way we too can share our faith with others.
Of course, we can get so caught up in serving and eating that we forget to share anything else, and then it would be more like Coffee Hour in our churches.
We wouldn't want that, right?
No, I think the message from Abraham here is to fill the needs of the visitor and then listen to what he has to say. And we shouldn't forget that part of it, the listening part.
More to come...