Today’s lectionary reading shows Christ’s view of what real hospitality is and how true goodness shows through hospitality to those at different places and circumstances in life. A good deed done in the name of Christ is an action done with God’s power. Doing good deeds in God’s name and following Christ become the same thing. The power of Christ is with the ones who performed good acts of kindness, mercy and compassion in the name of Jesus. That is why Jesus tells the first disciples not to stop the one who cast out demons in his name. Although the disciples believed he was not with them, Jesus instructed them to welcome him and his good deeds because he is following the Lord. The disciples were closing the door for him to perform God’s work, but Jesus told them to let him do it. Those who are new in the faith are developing their way of acting through their faith and their efforts are honest and good that is why they cannot be hindered. I think the disciples were threatened by the exorcist power and presence of performing Jesus’ work. The disciples labeled him as outsider and therefore he was not one of them. Let alone they were denying him of his gift from God to perform miracles. A man of willing spirit was told to stop from using his talent to help those who were benefiting from his service. Thanks to Jesus for his attitude of acceptance and inclusion. Jesus welcomed the man and his talent to drive out demons in his name.

Jesus instructed us in this passage from the gospel of Mark not to worry so much about labels. Good people are the salt of the earth and their goodness and their “saltiness”, if you will, is what makes them be true disciples of Jesus Christ. We stumble if we are “in-fighting.” What makes us good is that we are created good, and in the image of God, and not because of some certain label that we give ourselves. It is not because we are Christians or because we are United Methodists and we attend church worship that we are good. We are good because we are children of God. You and I are created in God’s likeness. Therefore we are capable of acting out God’s grace, love and mercy.

When we fight over credentials, labels and details between each other we are not in a welcoming spirit of “bold hospitality.” We are all part of the “Body of Christ.” If we want to fight with each other Christ tells us that we are better off if we amputate our arms. In other words, not having courageous hospitality is the worst thing that we can do and the Lord instructs us that an unwelcoming attitude is a separation from God.

We need all to be at peace with one another in a spirit of hospitality. In Jesus’ view, it does not matter whether we are United Methodists, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Lutherans, or Non-Christians. It does not matter whether we are American Indians, Hispanics, Latinos, Caucasians, African Americans, or Asians. We are all children of God as one big family in “courageous hospitality.” Last week I was fortunate to attend a four-day meeting of the United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) board meeting held in Evanston. Every day there was powerful worship service led by the Reverend Elizabeth Macaulay and Sara Thomsen both from Minnesota. One of the songs that we learned was written and sung by Sara Thomsen called, “By Breath.” Miss Thomsen is one of the most gifted singers and composer who also lead worship, retreats, church events and conferences. You can access more of Miss Thomsen’s music and information at: www.sarathomsen.com.

By Breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are one.  

The air that is my breath is the air that you are breathing

And the air that is your breath is the air that I am breathing

The wind rising in my breast is the wind from the east, from the west

From the north, from the south, breathing in, breathing out 

By Breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are one.  

The water that is my blood, my sweat, tears from crying

Is the water that is your blood, your sweat, tears from crying

And the rising of the tides is in our veins and in the ocean wide

We are in the rising stream, rushing river, running stream 

By Breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are one.

The earth is dust, the earth is clay, flowe’rs blossoming and fading

We are dust and we are clay, we are blossoming and fading

Every color, every sound, every place is holy ground

Oh, every living thing, can you hear it laugh? Can you hear it sing?

By Breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are one.

The fire in my heart, my soul flame burning

Is the fire in your heart, your soul flame burning

We are spirit burning bright, by the light of day, in the dark of night

We are shining like the sun, and like the moon, like the Holy One

By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are one. 

Miss Thomsen’s song proclaims that we are one. We need each other. We need to inspire and support each other in any way. We need to celebrate our relationship with each other as children of the same God. We must be at peace with one another and we must not stumble into the trap of exclusiveness. We are not an exclusive club in the church. We are more a universal body of Christ welcoming anyone who wishes to join our fellowship or community of faith. As a church we want people to feel welcome and be part of the larger family of God. No one should be excluded.  We, the church, must love and reach out to everyone including those who are perceived as outsiders, the outcasts, the poor and the forgotten in this world. The way we love, serve and care for one another and those who are in need is a manifestation of who we are as Christians, and the kind of God we worship, follow and serve. Loving and serving God is about being one in Christ and supporting each other including those who are not part of our community of faith, but are children of God. As Christians our common mission is to spread God’s hospitality to all people. Attending church worship and participating in the Lord’s Supper is empty, and does nothing for us, if we do not live God’s Word in our daily life. This, I believe, is the central message of the church: to model the good news that God accepts and invites everyone to share in God’s kingdom. As the gospel of Mark proclaims, “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (verse 49-50). We all have our own assumptions about other people. Sometimes it is easier to label others as outsiders when they are different from us.

I speak from my own experience as an immigrant to this country. Since my skin color is brown, with an accent and a different culture I am sometimes perceived as different from the majority. In different occasions I have been asked by people with this question, “Where are you from?” When I say I am from Chicago people will looked at me and say, “Where is your native birth?” Then I would answer them, “Philippines.” Now whenever someone asks me that same question my answer to them is, “I am originally from the Philippines but I live in Chicago now.” Then I don’t get those looks and extra questions anymore because what the people really want to know is my native origin.

People with their good intentions want to be welcoming and hospitable but it is hard because in pointing out the differences in people we often deemphasize the similarity. Cultural differences make people seem more different than they actually are. When we keep on underlining the differences between people, the differences becomes falsely emphasized and inflated and that causes people to become hyper sensitive. This damages our relationships with people in our communities and even in the church. Remember that we are all in Christ together.

The disciples tried to exclude who they thought might be different, but Jesus recognized that it was the sameness and the goodness that mattered and not the differences. It is easier to point out differences between people than similarities. When we do that, it is not a hospitable spirit. We become like the disciples who misjudged the exorcist with his good intentions. We are not here to tell anyone to stop performing God’s work. Instead we are here to inspire and affirm one another in our work for the propagation of God’s kingdom here on earth. Again Jesus said that those who are young in the faith need to be welcomed, supported and nurtured so that they too would become the disciples that God intends them to be. “Young in the faith” does not mean the person is young according to age. It may mean that they are in a different place in life and in their faith journey.

We need to respect each other more despite our small differences. Jesus does not reject people. It is people who reject the Lord and it is people that are rejecting other people. Let us not reject anyone. The text says, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great milestone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.” Let us not be the cause or the reason for someone to stumble. Through God’s grace we can be God’s agents of welcome and peace.

 At the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) meeting last week during dinner, one of the members of the board from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shared with us his experience after the Katrina catastrophic event few years ago. He told us that the day after the hurricane he got a call from a distant relative that he never met before. The cousin introduced himself on the phone and he told him about their blood relationships and that he and his family lost their home and they needed a place to stay. The board member was surprised by this new cousin’s call but he could not say no. Instead he said, “Come on in and bring your whole family. How long it will take you to get here?” The cousin on the other line said, “We are outside your house.” He opened the door and there were 12 people in all. All of a sudden a house of only 2 people is now going to be 14 with a new dog to live with them for few weeks.

 At first it was a challenged to live with new people and cook so much food and most of all with a new dog in the house. They all struggled but they learned to manage their situation, according to the board member they adjusted to each other well and eventually they became a big happy family of God. There is not much privacy when you have new guests, but the people were glad to be together. They adjusted to each other and learned to work together. The board member became attached with their young children and learned many things from them. This was an incredible act of kindness and hospitality on the part of the board member and his wife to welcome 12 strangers into their home and later became close with one another. That was an amazing example of hospitality. Courageous hospitality is offering our invitation to all without leaving anyone behind, and creating a safe space to accept everyone with God’s love and allowing them to be who they are

What are some of the ways that you could extend God’s hospitality to someone this week? Every year there are tens of thousands of new students in the city. Find some ways to welcome them in this windy city. We have new families visiting our church for the first time. Welcome them with your smiles and warm handshakes. There might be new neighbors in your community. Show them hospitality with warm bread. There might be new immigrants in your neighborhood. Try to learn their names and invite them to dine with you in your home. Let us share God’s peace, love and welcome to someone we do not know this week. Jesus challenges us to be welcoming and hospitable to the needy and the strangers. The writer of Hebrews said, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). Who will you welcome in your home, in our church, and in your conversation this week? Amen