Hebrews 13:1-2:  The word translated mutual love in this passage is the Greek word “philadelphia.” This word has obviously become the name of a city in Pennsylvania which we know is called the City of Brotherly Love.” Philia, the first syllable of the word is one of three Greek words that we translate into English by our one word, love. The sense of this word is more like “friendship.” So maybe another translation of this text could be, “Let your friendships continue.” What I believe the author is referring to is how easy it is for people who have close friendships to stay focused and live within the bounds of those friendships, and inadvertently find themselves in a closed circle of relationships that is almost impossible for others to become a part of. So, the author reminds us, that in the church our friendship, our circle is never closed, but is always open to all, especially the stranger who comes into our midst. As that old saying says, “Strangers are simply friends we have not yet met.”

2 Corinthians 3:2-6:  This verse certainly causes us to see ourselves and our life as disciples in a very important light. Paul tells the Corinthians that as the church, they are letters of Christ. They are the ones who are chosen to be God’s messengers to the world. Certainly a scary thought, but one that reflects great trust on God’s part toward us. Yet, Paul tells us, our ability comes from God who through the Spirit has written the message upon our hearts. The heart in biblical anthropology being the feeling center of our being. And that makes sense, since the new covenant we bring is the message of God’s absolute love for all of creation. As I John tells us, “We can love because God first loved us.” Because God’s Spirit has written that love upon our hearts, and now it is a part of who we are. We are people created in love so we may more fully be loving.

I was talking to a friend a few months ago about the declining membership in the United Methodist Church, and actually in all mainline denominations. She was sharing how her former church in the mid-west grew from several hundred to well over a thousand members. She said they did two things that created this growth. First they built upon their strengths. One of those strengths was they had a very good music ministry, just as we do. So they did community concerts every 2-3 months highlighting the choirs and musical talent of the church. The second thing they did was the pastors took a month and utilized the time of worship to teach people the skills they needed to be evangelistic, or as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians, how to be God’s letters of love to the world. If you can wipe out all the stereotypes one often associates with the term evangelist and take a fresh look at what it means, we can see why it is such a wonderful calling. Evangelism simply means to be a bearer of “good news.” In this case evangelism means “God’s good news of love for all of creation. One can see that the word evangelist contains the word “angel” which simply means messenger. We are God’s letter, God’s messengers of good news to the world. It is an awesome and wondrous call. And as we continue through the month, we will see that good news is shared in many different ways

So for this month of August, Nancy and I want to share some thoughts with you about how we can walk the path God has set before us, knowing that when we do, wondrous things happen. The kingdom of God grows. Today, I want to just look at our time together on Sunday morning. Before we focus on how we bring that good news into the world, let’s look at how we are God’s letters of love to those who gather with us for worship or any gathering at the church.

Did you know that most people decide whether they will return to the church for a second time within the first five minutes of entering the sanctuary? Long before they hear the choir sing their anthem. Long before they hear the magnificent, Bible based, practically oriented, life-enriching sermon preached. The first thing people are noticing, is there anyone here like me? Usually that means if a young couple with children comes, they are looking to see if there are other young couples with children here also. Why? When we look for a faith community to belong to, we look for a place where we can deepen our walk with Christ. Is there someone here who would understand life from my perspective and understand my needs and what I face every day in the living of my life? If I need to talk with someone about what I face, is there someone here I believe would understand? It is why we ask that if you see someone you think is new to the congregation that is about your age, especially if you are a little younger that you make a special effort to introduce yourself to them and to let them know of the many ministries that we have for them to deepen their faith.

Another important thought, at least to me, is that we are challenged to no longer see people who are here for the first time as visitors, but as honored guests and recognize our role as gracious hosts. When you have someone come to your home what does it mean to you to be a good host, to be hospitable? Whatever it is, I would guess you are trying to help the person or persons feel as comfortable and at ease and at home as you can. That is our goal as well. The passage from Hebrews really challenges us. “Welcome the stranger, for you may be entertaining angels.” Let your “philadelphia”, your friendliness show, especially to the stranger.  Let’s take a look at how two different churches approached this call to be welcoming of the stranger.

Show a “Tale Of Two Churches.”
{Webmaster's note: This tale is included in the audio version of this sermon}

It’s not hard to see which church helped the mother and daughter feel like honored guests. There are some simple, practical things we can do to help people feel at home and welcomed when they join us for worship. There is what we call the five foot rule. After service take time to speak with the people who are within five feet of you, especially if they are someone who you do not know, or do not know well. It is so easy to go and seek out your friends, as the scripture in Hebrews implies, than to take time to be friendly. The greatest feelings of loneliness are experienced when you are not acknowledged within the midst of a crowd who is being friendly to each other and you feel outside the circle. There is also the five minute rule. Take the first five minutes after a service to seek out people you do not know and strike up a conversation with them. Start building those relationships that truly help people feel a part of community.

Coffee time is imperative, so it breaks my heart when we hear how we have to hurry through this time so we can have parking spots freed up for the next service. Please, if you are able, park behind Catholic Charities or at the Sharlot Hall Museum. The last thing we want to do is give people the sense we are too busy or hurried to be present with each other. There are numerous things we can do as ushers and greeters that we will introduce in some training I hope very soon. Let me simply leave you with the thought that we are trying to be gracious hosts to people who are indeed honored guests. I believe this is what the author of Hebrews is trying to remind us.

We are about to share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Obviously the word communion and community have the same root. God has bestowed God’s good news upon all of us. We are indeed people who have all received God’s grace in our lives. It is this grace we seek to experience together and help each other to know more deeply in our lives. It is this letter of God’s love that we now celebrate together.

Sermon delived by Rev. George Cushman on August 6, 2006.