This past weekend, the Dodgeville UMC began a series of messages on 5 purposes that all congregations need to be about, if they want to be a fruitful and growing congregation in the future (based on Bishop Robert Schnase's work: 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations).  We began with the practice of Radical Hospitality ...

I want you to do some imagining for just a moment.  Image that you are getting ready to entertain someone who you admire or even idolize (heaven forbid!) in your own home for an evening.  How would you begin to prepare for this monumental moment in time?  Let me ask some very important questions, to begin:

• Would you prepare ... or just wing the evening?
• Would you treat them just like your next door neighbor ... or would your feelings toward them be just a little different?
• Would you greet them ... or just walk by an nod your head as they came to your front door?
• Would they know that you were excited to see them, upon greeting, or would they think that maybe they'd come to the wrong address?
• What would you serve?  Would you give the evening your very best ... or would you just 'order out' and hope that that would be good enough for their dignitary status?
• Would you place a basket on your dining room table ... with a sign in it that said, "Donations Accepted Here."
• Would you be so busy 'taking care of them' that there was no time left for meaningful conversation?
• Would you get angry with your 'honored guest' if they took and ate too much of one particular item served that night?  Would they sense your anger?
• If your 'honored guest' spilled a drink on your carpet, how would you handle it?  And, by the way, what's more important--your carpet or your 'honored guest?'

Scripture tells us in Hebrews 13:2 (TEV), "Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it."  If this is the way we are to treat absolute strangers, then how are we to treat guests who walk into our church?  How you answer the questions above ... will determine whether we're practicing Radical Hospitality yet or not!  How you answer the questions above about your own home ... should be the same as you'd answer them about your home church.  Give it some thought, would you ... for Christ's sake?

Rom