Lord, I pray that my thoughts and my words be helpful in guiding us all in our faith. Amen
I am going to talk about Lydia, who is in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles that Herb read. Lydia was a believer in God, a Jewish proselyte, a seller of dyed purple cloth. She was a hospitable woman and that is what I want to talk about today; how we as Christians should be hospitable people.
“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.”
Lydia of Thyatira, a woman, was the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe. Her name Lydia means that she was from the Turkish province of Lydia. She was originally from Thyatira, but was a resident in Philippi, in Greece, when the apostle Paul travelled there. Depending upon what you believe she was either an agent of a purple-dye firm of Thyatira or she was a business-woman selling purple-dyed clothing, an expensive commodity in ancient times. So she was probably a wealthy woman. Lydia insisted on giving hospitality to Saint Paul and his companions in Philippi. They stayed with her until their departure for Thessalonica. She offered hospitality to those in need of it. She opened her table and her home to the four men who guided her conversion. Lydia, a widow, offered hospitality in a world that offered little help to widows and women. That hospitality was given freely, using the blessings God had given to her.
It is not a coincidence that I would pick Lydia out and talk about hospitality on Mother’s Day, because hospitality often comes from mothers. Maybe for some of you it was your father who taught you to be hospitable to others, but in my case it was my mother, and I think of hospitality as coming essentially from mothers. When was the last time you invited someone, of whom your mother or wife did not approve, into your home? They probably didn’t stay long! When was the last time the man of the house cooked dinner for the guests? It happens, perhaps more today than in previous generations, but it’s not the norm. Fathers can be hospitable, but hospitality usually comes from mothers. Which is a good reason to talk about it on Mother’s Day.
So my major message today is that we, as Christians, should be hospitable people.
What does hospitality mean?
The word hospitality comes from Latin and had two kinds of meaning, one being power, the other being equalisation. As a host, you have some power over your guest, but hospitality means that you make them feel equal in your house.
In ancient Greece, a stranger passing outside a house could be invited inside the house by the family. The host washed the stranger's feet, offered food and wine, and only after the guest was comfortable would ask his or her name. So hospitality applies not just to friends but to strangers. Like the family coming into town for the son or daughter to play in the hockey tournament. Like the friend of a friend who is new in the area and is in need of companionship.
As a teenager, I was a tourist with my family in Tunisia and we had driven out to a then remote peninsular, where there were some ruins. We were walking together, my parents, my brother and I, in a small town when we stopped to look at a pile of leaves against the outside wall of a house. The father came out and explained that they were tobacco leaves, to be treated and sold. We were immediately invited in for lunch, by a total stranger in a land far from home. They made us feel completely welcome in their home. I think they were as curious about us as we were about them, so nobody was fully at ease, but this was probably my earliest lesson in pure hospitality.
In ancient Greece, there were two other elements to hospitality; protection and guidance. Hospitality is about making the guest, whoever they are, a close friend or a stranger, feel protected and taken care of, and at the end of the visit, guiding them to the next destination. And this without reward. Very important; without reward.
I was reading a book about Spain in the 1800’s just recently, and in those times, if you knew a guest was coming, you went out to greet them many miles away and escorted them to your house. When they left you travelled with them for some hours to make sure they were safe and going the right way. Today hospitality is less a matter of protection and showing them the way (although that does happen) and more about providing for your guest’s needs, and treating them as equals.
One definition I read said that hospitality is the cordial and generous reception of guests, another talked of kindness in welcoming guests or strangers. Cordial, generous, kind. These are the major characteristics of hospitality
Can someone give me an example of cordial, generous or kind hospitality that you have received or observed recently?
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As Christians, hospitality is making good use of the gifts we have, without grumbling or worrying about what we don’t have. Hospitality rendered as a pure gift to someone else, without pretence or pride, is beautiful. Through giving, we have the opportunity to touch other lives. We can think of it as self-interest because it nearly all comes back to haunt us – positively. Accepting hospitality is also a gift. I know someone who won’t stay in other people’s houses because she is not comfortable doing so. Being hospitable feels good, even if you have to get used to it, and refusing hospitality means depriving some one else of that good feeling. It is preventing someone from being hospitable.
“But I have a tiny, messy house, no china, too few chairs, no guestroom, too many children, an obnoxious dog, very little free time, and a tiny food budget!”
The focus of hospitality is on our guests, not on the way our house looks or our immaculate housekeeping or our china and silver. Our guests will enjoy themselves just as much if the ceiling is not yet painted or if the carpet doesn’t match the wallpaper. The meal won’t be ruined if it's served on paper plates. Pot luck dinners are some of the most enjoyable ones I have been to. Your guests will remember your conversation and fellowship long after the plates and furniture are forgotten.
So far, I have talked about hospitality in its easiest, conventional sense, hospitality in the home with friends or people who we may not know, but we do know who they are. Let’s broaden the conversation out a bit; what about people in need, whom we have no idea who they are, but we do know they are in need. People who are not particularly enticing or attractive, to whom it is not so easy to offer hospitality. The person on the street. The teenager covered in tattoos who is not exactly your image of the perfect son or daughter.
Cordial, generous, kind I said earlier. Sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone to offer hospitality that is cordial, generous and kind. The kind word to someone living on the street; a cordial smile to someone who has nothing; a generous gift to someone begging, these can all be part of being hospitable, being welcoming in spirit. Being hospitable isn’t always easy, but it is necessary. Lydia could have easily not bothered inviting Paul into her house. Or when he refused, which presumably he did, as she had to prevail on them, she could have stopped. But no she persisted, and they accepted her hospitality.
Lastly, we need to think about hospitality in our church. When new people arrive, how good are in welcoming them to the service? It is easy to welcome old friends and it is just as easy to say “I don’t know those people” or “They are probably only coming here once” or “I am shy with strangers.” The strangers made an effort to come to our church and we have no idea what brought them here. On a couple of occasions I have met new people who were in church because of the death of a child. How would we be able to help them if we were not hospitable?
Remember that how someone is welcomed in church is a huge part of whether they come back. If they receive a second contact in the days following the service, they are much more likely to return. As we go into this two year trial of a new parish, in which our goal is to grow the congregations so that we can stand alone, being hospitable to strangers who come to our services is enormously important to our survival.
So, on this Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate their love for us and let us demonstrate that same love in being hospitable to those who need our hospitality.
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