Opening Prayer

Light a candle to remind us of God’s presence and enter into a minute of silence before praying.

God, we are aliens and sojourners in this world,

but you invite us to be your guests.

You lavishly offer us your hospitality

and lovingly welcome us into your family,

You invite us to share in the abundance of your kingdom.

God, you have shown us that providing hospitality to strangers

opens a doorway into the Kingdom of God.

Remind us that when we offer hospitality to others,

we are receiving Christ into our midst and so fulfilling the law of love. Amen.

Weekly Scripture and Reflection Questions

June 14th - June 28th

• June 14: Genesis 18:1-15 | A Little Over The Top | Radical Hospitality
• What is your definition of hospitality?
• Abraham and Sarah welcomed the strangers offering just a ‘little’ water to wash their feet, and a ‘little’ bread to refresh them, instead they brought out a feast. Where in your life or as a church are we  doing “just enough”, and where is God calling us to be radically hospitable?
• Share a story of experiencing radical hospitality in your life and how that made an impact on you. 
• What would have to change in our hearts to be willing to be interrupted in order to provide over-the-top hospitality to strangers like Abraham and Sarah?
• What does this story reveal about the significance of hospitality, and our part in being a people reflecting God’s hospitality?

• June 21: Matthew 25:32-40  | Hospitality Is Love | You Did It To Me
• Why do you think Jesus is identifying himself with the marginalized (the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner…), and how does seeing “Christ in disguise” in the face of strangers change the way we welcome people?
• How can we shift our focus from "performing" hospitality to simply "practicing" love until it becomes a natural reflex?
• What does radical hospitality for the “least of these” look like as it is lived out in your life and at Aldersgate?

• June 28: Leviticus 19:33-34 and Deuteronomy 10:17-19  | Hospitality Is Adaptable | You Were Once Strangers
• God invites the people of Israel to remember their ancestors who were once strangers in a strange land in order to reorient their imagination to love foreigners among them. What is your family history of coming to this land, and what kind of welcome did they receive?
• When have you felt like an outsider, and how does that memory shape the way you welcome others today? 
• What are the practical barriers (legal, social, or physical) that keep the "aliens" in our community from feeling truly at home?
• In what ways does our church need to "adapt" its culture or traditions to ensure that a stranger doesn't just feel like a guest, but like a member of the family? 
  

July 5th - July 26th

• July 5: Hebrews 13:1-2 
• "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it." Have you ever had an encounter with a stranger that felt like a "messenger" from God? What did you learn? 
• Verse 3 asks us to remember those in prison or being tortured "as though you were there with them." How does hospitality move us from "pity" to "solidarity" with the suffering? 

• July 12: Luke 5:17-26 | Breaking Through | He saw their faith
• What does this story reveal about hospitality, and God’s invitation for us to reflect this kind of faith?
• The friends in this story were willing to break through the roof to extend radical care to their friend. What barriers do we need to break through so that people can be welcomed into the care of Christ?
• In the time of the underground railroad, Methodists and many others practiced hospitality as a revolutionary, dangerous act. Who is needing this kind of radical hospitality today, and what kind of hospitality is Christ calling us to extend to them?

• July 19: John 4:1-45 
• Where do you see hospitality and welcome in this story?
• Jesus begins this encounter not by offering help, but by asking for it ("Will you give me a drink?"). How does it change our approach to "neighboring" when we realize that radical hospitality can begin with us being humble enough to ask, rather than always trying to be the "host" in control?
• The woman came for water but she found "living water". How can our church’s hospitality move beyond just providing a service (like a food pantry or a handshake) to creating a space where people feel "fully known" and truly seen by God? 

• July 26: John 13:1-20 | Hospitality Is Relational | He loved them to the end
• What keeps you from being willing to let Christ serve you with this radical act of love and hospitality?
• Washing feet was a messy, intimate, and relational task. Why is it often easier to give money to a cause than to sit down and build a relationship with a stranger? 
• Jesus says, "I have given you an example." What is one specific, radical "washing of feet" act of love and hospitality you will commit to doing in the coming week? 
• How would you define the hospitality God calls us to show?

Sharing and Praying

Spend time praying for others by giving thanks to God for things to celebrate and lifting up needs, worries, hurts, and concerns. 

Wrap Up

Reflect back over this prayer and reflection time using any or all of the questions below.

1. What is a word or phrase that captures something that stood out from this time of prayer and reflection? Ask the Spirit as to why this has grabbed your attention?
2. What is your “take away” from this time of prayer and scripture reflection?
3. What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do in response to what God is saying?

Closing Prayer

May the radical hospitality of Father, the sacrificial love of the Son, and the sustaining grace of the Spirit open our eyes to see Jesus in the face of strangers that we may become God’s welcome to all we see. Amen.