SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-05-28T11:00:00-05:00
10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
It may sound cliché, but we have much to learn from the early church, from those who embraced the Christian message and lifestyle in all of its freshness and force. When we read the New Testament, particularly books like Acts and the life and letters of Peter, we see a clear and vibrant commitment to worship, prayer, evangelism, and the Holy Spirit. In varying degrees, many of those commitments have been emphasized throughout the history of the church and continue to be valued today.
But this past Sunday we considered a commitment of the early church that for various reasons has fallen by the wayside, at least in the contemporary American churches. In his book, Thirty Years That Changed the World, scholar Michael Green notes that it was hospitality that was one of the hallmarks of the lifestyle of the early church. He writes, “Hospitality is one of the greatest joys in life, and the early Christians used it to the full; but it is undeniably costly. It costs time, effort, trouble, money. Yet the first Christians found it absolutely central to their mission. Their hospitality to strangers was legendary…This love, this cohesiveness, this hospitality is no less vital today.” The hospitality Green describes, and which Peter commends in 1 Peter 4:9, is the practice of welcoming people into one’s home, not only for a few hours of talking and eating, but for an extended time of living as guests.
Countless dynamics of our culture push back against the idea of practicing this type of hospitality. Many of us have become too busy, too individualistic, too fearful, and too dependent on institutions to consider hospitality possible, much less normal. Sure, there may be some younger “radical” Christians who could take the disruption of hospitality in stride, or maybe some older “empty nester” Christians who might even enjoy the hustle and bustle of it for a season. But if Peter only knew the pace and pressures of our lives, he might back off the idea of hospitality as a universal Christian commitment, right? Probably not. In fact, he might just consider that question itself a form of “grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9).
It’s worth noting that hospitality is the first example Peter gives of what it looks like to, “love one another earnestly (1 Peter 4:8).” If hospitality is an act of love, there’s little room for opting out. In fact, if hospitality is an act of love than it is one of the most essential duties of our lives as Christians. Remember how Jesus described the most important commandments? He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).” To show loving hospitality, no matter how counter-cultural or disruptive it may seem, is basic to Christianity.
By God’s grace, in Jesus Christ we have a perfect model of and motivation for hospitality. In the most unexpected and selfless acts of history, the Son of God left his home and sacrificed Himself so that we, His enemies, would be shown eternal welcome in heaven as His family. As we consider together how God is calling us to show hospitality to one another, may God dissolve our objections and fears with the power of His loving hospitality to us.