The Power of True Hospitality – sermon on May 29, 2016
1 Kings 8: 22-23, 41-43 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands toward heaven, and he prayed,
“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.
“In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, then hear from heaven, where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.
Luke 7: 1-10 When Jesus had finished preaching to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.
Sermon: The Power of True Hospitality Rev. Doreen Oughton
What a great place to wrap up a reading – with someone healed, and with Jesus himself amazed. Jesus is amazed by this officer, this Roman Centurion. For the entire time that Jesus walked the earth, there are only two recorded instances where Jesus is amazed. The other time, in Mark’s gospel, he is amazed at the unbelief of the Nazareans, who were so skeptical that it interfered in his doing many miracles in his home town. But this is the only time we hear about that his amazement was positive, that he was blown away by someone or something.
What does that word conjure up for you, that word “amazed”? When were you last amazed in this positive sense?…. I heard Tricia Tarantino speak on the news, and she used the word amazing and amazed a few times. She was amazed by the outpouring of support and love for her husband and family. What came to mind for me might be considered more mundane, like how amazing it might be for a flight to go smoothly – on time, comfortable, pleasant. Maybe we are amazed when an active, restless child sits quietly through a worship service, or when the student who usually struggles aces an exam. Perhaps one is amazed to find the Parisiens friendly to American tourists. There seems to be something about having your expectations far surpassed. It’s surprising, leaving you with a sense of wonder, a good feeling.
So what is it that caused this amazement? Here’s the scenario. Jesus is back in Capernaum after giving an amazing sermon when he is approached by some of the Jewish elders asking him on behalf of this Roman officer to go to his house and heal his valued slave. The elders say that this officer is worthy of such help, as he has been a friend to the Jewish people – he “loves” them and even built a synagogue for them. I wonder what Jesus’ expectations are as he heads off with the elders. Perhaps a little skeptical about the worthiness of this man, this man who owns another man, who is up in the ranks of the forces that are there to impose Rome’s rule? Perhaps he doesn’t quite trust the word of these elders about who is worthy, as they might very well be in Rome’s pocket also, some of the elite few Jewish people that the Romans reward for getting with the program. Perhaps Jesus sets off not because he is assured of the worthiness of the officer, but only because he cares about the plight of the dying slave.
But then the group is intercepted by more friends of the officer, who give the message that leaves Jesus in amazement. The message is not to come all the way to the house, but just say the word from where you are. The message is that the Centurion understands about authority, and recognizes Jesus’ authority. Just as the officer can command his troops to go and come, and his servants to do this and that, so can Jesus command away illness or unclean spirits or whatever is killing his servant. Where Jesus was frustratingly amazed at the lack of faith of the Nazareans, he is wonderfully amazed by the faith of this Roman officer.
But I wonder if there is more to Jesus’ amazement than the understanding by the officer about Jesus’ authority and his belief in his healing abilities. After all, there are lots of stories in the New Testament where people express strong belief in Jesus’ ability to heal – the people who lower their friend down through the roof, the Syro-Phoenician woman who insists that Jesus heal her daughter, even though he thinks he is only there for the Jewish people. There’s the woman who was bleeding for 12 years and knows that just touching the hem of his garment will heal her. Is the officer’s belief somehow more important than that of others? And it’s not about the foreigner getting it – the Syro-Phoenician woman was also a foreigner.
As I pondered the two texts together, King Solomon’s prayer and this story of Jesus’ amazement, I saw a connection focused on hospitality. Both texts tell us something about how to treat “the foreigner” or someone different from you, someone with different customs and beliefs. King Solomon is saying a prayer of dedication for the Temple that has just been completed. He praises God’s greatness, and acknowledges that God cannot be contained in all of heaven and earth, let alone a temple built by human hands, but asks that God keep eye on this center of worship, let the Holy Name be in the place. And then Solomon says that surely foreigners will hear of God’s greatness, and he asks that when they pray, God would answer their prayers. Solomon asks God to answer the prayers of the foreigners, the people who have different customs, different ways of doing things, perhaps even with a history of making war with Israel. “Answer their prayers.” I’d call that hospitality.
And with the gospel story, I wonder if what amazed Jesus was not just the faith of the Roman officer, but his humility and hospitality. He sent someone to intercept Jesus so that Jesus wouldn’t be made unclean by coming to his house. He, lover of Jews that he was, must have known something about the cleanliness codes – that a Jew entering the home of a Gentile was not kosher. Or perhaps he was sensitive to how it looked – a Roman officer commanding these Jewish people to do his bidding, fetching, healing, etc. He took pains to avoid giving offense. And maybe that was truly amazing to Jesus.
I started thinking about what it means to avoid giving offense, and I think there is a paradox to it – or two sides to the coin. I think as Christians we can show hospitality by taking pains to avoid offending others while at the same time training ourselves to not take offense at the words or behaviors of others. And I really want you to hear this as directed to you, personally. Not to think about how this applies to someone else, not to think about how someone else is offensive, or is so easily offended. I’ll share a story first convicting myself.
I serve on the religious affairs committee of the Worcester NAACP. Our chairman has worked hard to be inclusive, have representatives from different faiths on the committee. At our first meeting I was introduced to Joe and Steve. Joe shook my hand, but Steve declined. Steve was a Muslim, and it is sinful for a Muslim man to touch a woman who is not family. Now some of you know that I am a feminist, and anything that seems like a put down of women, or implies that women are less than, or unclean in any way can get my back up. But you know how you can separate from your thoughts a little bit? I did that. I could see my mind working up an offense, ready to feel insulted, ready to judge this man and his religion. Not that I would have said anything or made a scene. It was all going on in my head. But I stopped myself. No, I said. Just respect it, respect him. Be hospitable in your mind and heart. Don’t cause offense to him, don’t take offense to his beliefs and actions.
For many years now there has been a backlash against political correctness, an assertion that people are too sensitive and that free speech is being inhibited. Now I agree that making laws dictating what can and cannot be said is extreme, but just because you CAN say something doesn’t mean you should say it. Oughtn’t we, like the Centurion, think about how our words and actions might be perceived, and, with humility, avoid giving offense? And we may not know until we are told, that something is hurtful. Like I didn’t know that I shouldn’t have put my hand out to Steve to shake it. An innocent mistake I’m sure is forgiven, but if I did it again at our next meeting, well shame on me. So when sports teams took on names that caricatured Native Americans, perhaps it was an innocent action at first. But now that they have been told that it is hurtful to the Native peoples, why oh why do some persist, calling it nonsense, political correctness out of control?
At the same time, I am suggesting that we become less sensitive to offense ourselves, especially in those areas in which we might be advantaged. Maybe if someone says happy holidays instead of merry christmas you don’t feel offended and post a rant about it on FB. I understand that the way is not always clear. When are your words and actions an important part of expressing yourself even though some may take offense, and when can you let it go? (Day of Prayer, Catholic Communion).
Now I see the corner I have painted myself into here. I am asking you to be sensitive to others, to not take offense, and at the same time I am asking you to be convicted by my words, which may well be offensive, AND I have done something in this service that may have been offensive to some people here by referring to God as “her.” And while it is not ever my goal or intention to do or say things just for the purpose of offending people, I do believe that good preaching sometimes upsets people. I believe that church ought not be a place that strives only to be inoffensive. Following Jesus should cause upset and discomfort, not for the sake of upset, but for the sake of change. Change is hard. Breaking free of worldly values that are so corrupt, is bound to discomforting. The good news may feel bad sometimes.
So I humbly ask that you give me, not a pass, but the benefit of the doubt. If I say something that is hard for you to hear, will you remember that I am not simply trying to offend you? Of course you may disagree with me, you may not like my style of saying things, and I am always willing to hear you out about those things. Certainly I miss the mark sometimes in what I intend to do. But perhaps you can let yourself wonder what might be going on beyond the offense. Are there opportunities to expand your faith, to show more sensitivity and hospitality to others?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to think of Jesus being amazed by First Congregational Church of Leicester – not only by our faith and trust in him, but by our commitment to hospitality, the way we are sensitive to the customs and beliefs and feelings of others, the way we pray that the prayers of others are answered? Let him be amazed to find us always looking for the good in others, easily forgiving their missteps and gaffes so that we can see Christ in them, so that we can see God working through them as he worked through the Centurion. May it be so.
