Hospitality - from Abraham to Martha, Mary and Jesus

Scripture: Amos 8:1-12 and Psalm 52  •  Genesis 18:1-10a and Psalm 15  •  Colossians 1:15-28  • Luke 10:38-42

This week we learn about God's hospitality from the Genesis account of Abraham's hospitality to the three men and the blessed news of a child to be born, to the story of Mary and Martha's hospitality to Jesus. While Martha diligently worked to make Jesus comfortable, Jesus tells her Mary has chosen the "better part." What did Jesus mean?

In "Sir, please do not go beyond your servant," John W. Martens says that Paul, in his letter to the Colossians,  tells us that the greatest gift of hospitality any of us can offer is to invite all to participate in the welcoming of Jesus as his servants, in order “to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints."

In "Watching Til the Ego Yields," Peter Woods challenges us to go beyond artificial and superficial hospitality, and helps us get beyond our egos, in order to invite the Christ into our lives, like Mary, so that we might share his gift of eternal life, love and forgiveness with
others.

In "Living with Martha," The Rev. Stephanie Frey turns the tables on us , so to speak, as Jesus often does, and helps us see past our own agendas, even when we think we are "doing the Lord's work." We are called to realize that Jesus, not us, is the host. What is the significance of that?

The Good Samaritan

Scripture: Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82  •  Deuteronomy 30:9-14 and Psalm 25:1-10  •  Colossians 1:1-14  •  Luke 10:25-37

 

This week Jesus gives us the parable of the good Samaritan.  What is a good Samaritan? What is involved in being a good Samaritan? See The Rev. David Lose's "Who is our neighbor?" for an interesting insight into what Jesus says, not only about our neighbors, but also about caregivers - about all of us.

 

In "Meeting the Good Samaritan," The Rev. Dr. Thomas Long also tells us there's something deeper going on here than the moral of helping those in need. He says something has to happen to us to be good Samaritans. What does he mean? Why do we have "Good Samaritan laws?"

 

As in most parables, Jesus teaches us to examine ourselves. What will we find?

 

 

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth.

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Psalm 30  •  Isaiah 66:10-14 and Psalm 66:1-9  •  Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sometimes what we need to experience wholeness is right in front of us and we don’t notice it or  we choose to ignore it.  Sometimes the solution to our problems is right in front of us, personally and as a community.  "See Bruce Epperly's "The Adventurous Lectionary for July 7: Transformation is Right in Front of You" with reference to the healing of Naaman in the passage from 2 Kings, Paul's comments in regard to legalism in the passage from Galatians, and how we should live out our vocation in the passage from Luke's gospel.

Walter Brueggemann focuses on the infusion of life empowering freedom from self pre-occupation and self fulfillment as "new creations" in the context of all these scriptures in his "Signs of New Creation."

In "The Joy of Judgment" John W. Martens discusses the theme of "judgment" and the joy of God's judgment offered to us in the Isaiah passage and the joy Jesus offers us as he send us out to bring God's joy and hope to our fellow sojourners.