Last week our readings focused on our total love of God and being a “good Samaritan” and helping our neighbor. Jesus taught us who our neighbors are and how to be a good neighbor like the good Samaritan in the Gospel and thus live our lives as Christ Jesus did, for us.
This week’s readings continue the theme by way of hospitality, the sharing of time, food, water and shelter with visitors or travelers. You might not recognize at first that the reading from Genesis and the Gospel reading from Luke are both about our hospitality toward God. The two readings are very far apart in time and the human relationship with God and yet the manner in which we accept the presence of God in our lives and the hospitality we give freely to God is the same.
“Hospitality” is defined thus:
hospitality [ˌhɒspɪˈtælɪtɪ]
n pl -ties
1. kindness in welcoming strangers or guests
2. receptiveness
In the reading from the book of Genesis we witness the day when three “men” came along the road past Abraham’s home. Abraham ran (Abraham is an old man by the way) out to meet them and he greets these three “men” in a particular way. Abraham says, “My LORD, if you are pleased with me, stay for a while.” Abraham ran back to the tent told Sarah to hurry, make some bread and he ran out to the pasture to get a young calf and he prepared it for their dinner. Abraham took this meal to his guests and stayed with them while they ate.
It is highly unusual that Abraham would wait on these guests with such attentiveness, guests whom we at first assume to be travelers on the road, when ordinarily his servants would attend to them. One of the clues lies in how Abraham addresses the travelers on the road, he says, “My LORD.” 3 men…”my Lord”…Abraham is attending to a visit from God. The reading begins “This is how God appeared to Abraham” or “The LORD appeared to Abraham while the day was growing hot.” Abraham has no trouble recognizing God and Abraham attends to the Lord himself, he and Sarah. He sits with the LORD while He (they) eats. Then a most important message is given to Abraham by the LORD. God said to Abraham, “I will come again next spring. By that time Sarah will have a son.” This statement is the fulfillment of God’s promise that He would make a great nation through Abraham and even though Abraham and Sarah are “old” the promise is indeed fulfilled.
In the Gospel according to Luke Jesus visits a woman named Martha and her sister Mary. Martha begins to bustle around making food and serving a meal to Jesus while her sister, Mary, sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to Him. Martha finally comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!” To which Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are letting too many things bother you! There is only one thing that is really necessary. Mary has chosen to listen to me, and that’s more important than anything else.” Sounds like Martha got a slap down from Jesus but that isn’t the truth of the matter. Jesus isn’t telling Martha that what she is doing for Him is not appreciated or worthy but that it isn’t the most important thing to do…listening to Jesus is more important. He wants her to stop worrying about the work, remember for whom she is working and LISTEN even while she works! We read this and think how lucky she was to be able to make a meal for Jesus…and wouldn’t we do that with JOY? That is exactly what Martha is missing out on in this reading and in all her worrying about who is doing the “work” she is missing out on the joy of doing something, anything, for our LORD and missing His words, which she can be listening to while she prepares a meal. Abraham did not miss the joy of attending to the Lord in anyway. It was his supreme pleasure to prepare that meal and show such gracious hospitality to the Lord.
We need to be welcoming to our Lord, and receptive to His words. Even while we attend to the routines of daily life we should attend to the Lord. We should be willing to serve the Lord with happiness and love and care as Abraham did, and Martha did, and listen as attentively as Mary did at His feet.
Psalm 15: He Who Does Justice reinforces the good Samaritan lifestyle we should lead and gives us the expectation that, in doing so, we will live in the presence of the Lord!
Have a blessed week!