Tables: Neighborhood + You= Gospel

Follow Along with the Message

The only reason you and I are in this place today is because the gospel is a story of hospitality.

The family of God.
Exercise #1: Share a  with someone who follows Jesus.
Exercise #2: Reimagine your  as a place of family
Exercise #3: Reimagine your  as a place of hospitality

1. It’s comfortable.
2. It’s lived in.
3. It’s a place where people are flourishing.
4. It’s not necessarily beautifully decorated, but it is well cared for.
5. It’s a place of safety and sanctuary, where people can retreat from the anxiety of the world.
6. It’s not frenetic or stressful, but you walk in and feel a slower pace and a sense of peace.
7. It’s a place where life is celebrated, where the discipline of celebration has become a habit of the heart.
8. Yet it’s also a place where the pain, disappointment, and sadness of life is welcomed.
9. It’s a place where the details of life point to the simple beauty of life– with things like good food, fresh cut flowers, music, a sitting area with a plant or painting.
10. Finally, it’s a marked by traditions, which guests are invited into, but not forced into.

Neighbor + You =
You and your home serve as an outpost for the kingdom in your neighborhood and the table as a tangible expression of neighbor love.

Luke 10:25–37 (NIV)- On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Romans 15:7 (ESV)- Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.