Welcoming God into Our Home

A sermon from Reverend David

When did you last welcome God into your home?
 
The story of Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre has inspired great works of art. Jenny and Isaw one by Chagal while we were on holiday in France. Following a long tradition he paints the three visitors as angels. 
 
Actually the writer only says they are three men. 
But there is a mysterious ambiguity because the story 
also says that this is the appearance of the Lord. And when Abraham first speaks he says "My Lord" but then the reply is: "They said". It isn't surprising that early Christians saw this as hinting at the Trinity - the one God in three persons.
 
But it is also a sign that, in the Bible, God often comes to people through intermediaries - bridging the gap between the infinite, unknowable realm and people's everyday experience. We tend to think of these as angels, although in the bible they are usually just described as "men".
 
So to welcome three visitors, who came to bring a blessing from God, was the same as welcoming God.
 
And the same point is made in the gospel reading.
It comes at the end of chapter of instructions to the first disciples as they are sent out into the world to carry out 
and carry on Jesus' message and work.
 
And Jesus says: those who welcome you welcome me.
What he probably meant was that they were his representatives. 
So that if they were treated with honour and respect, then honour and respect was being shown to the one who sent them.
 
However, after the resurrection, the early Christians believed that Christ was actually present and at work within them by his Spirit.
And so Jesus' words took on new meaning.
 
And they recalled him saying "When you fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick and visited those in prison - you did it to me,"
 
They realised that his presence wasn't limited to themselves 
but was there in all those in need who crossed their path 
or who they went out of their way to help.
 
And, like the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, 
they remembered stories like Abraham and his visitors 
and believed that in offering hospitality, 
they were often "entertaining angels unawares".
 
So when did you last welcome God or Jesus into your home?
 
I believe Jenny and I had the privilege of doing that when we lived in Leeds, where we were fortunate to be part of a network of ordinary people who offered a bed for the night to destitute asylum seekers.
 
In the context of their troubles it seemed precious little - rather like offering a cup of cold water in the burning heat of Palestine.
Often it left us feeling inadequate and frustrated that we couldn't do more. Though just occasionally we saw something of the difference it made.
I'll never forget one man. When I greeted him at the door with a smile his face was totally blank. He seemed so traumatised that he couldn't even smile back. 
We showed him to his room and then we ate our meal together. We had been told he had no English, so there wasn't any conversation except that I offered him a banana, saying the word, and he replied with his own word for it. And then he went to bed. That was it. 
In the morning, as he was about to leave, I was upstairs when I heard him ask Jenny for, "Baba". (Father) 
I came down to say goodbye and he gave me a hug 
and then walked up the drive smiling and waving goodbye.
 
It felt like all we had done was offer him the equivalent of a cup of cold water in the midst of his troubles. But we saw the difference it had made to him and that was our reward.
 
If Jesus is right, then we welcome him in all those who enter our homes - be they friends, family or strangers.
But of course hospitality isn't just something we practice at home. It's core to our life as a Christian community here. 
And it is an attitude we can take into all our relationships and experiences. It is about living with less fear of the unknown. And being open to, and welcoming, the presence of God all our experiences and encounters.
 
Another way we can welcome God into our home is through prayer.
 
In Judaism, so much of the faith is lived out not at Synagogue but in the home - the daily rituals and weekly shabbat prayers.
And a simple way that Jenny and I have found we can consciously invite God in is by saying grace at the evening meal table. We haven't always done that but over the years we have found it a helpful way to be mindful of God; to give thanks 
but also to look back over the day, or think of others.
 
I know that might be awkward for some of us if our partners are unsure about faith. But for most of us it can be so simple, even if we have rather got out of the way of it, or only do it when the vicar comes round!
 
But I want to finish back with Abraham and his visitors
and a famous religious icon, painted by a Russian man called Andrei Rublev about 600 years ago. And although it shows Abraham's three visitors as angels, for him it was a painting of the Trinity.
 
And you will see that he has removed Abraham and Sarah from the picture. Instead the three figures are sitting around the table and the front is open - as if we are looking in.
 
It is as if the roles have been reversed. Now Abraham and Sarah - or rather ourselves - are no longer the hosts but the guests. 
Having welcomed the Lord into our lives, we are now invited into the banquet of God's love.
 
Let's just spend a few quiet moments looking at this,
remembering that God comes to us in so many ways
and let's be open to whatever he may wish to say to us today.
 
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