Third Sunday of Epiphany - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Genesis 18:1-8 Luke 10:25-37

A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer.’

The lawyer could, of course, have stopped right there, glad to have found approval. But, wanting to justify himself, he pushed the issue and asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ This reminds me of an American joke:

An engineer, a physicist, and a lawyer were being interviewed for a position as chief executive officer of a large corporation. The engineer was interviewed first, and was asked a long list of questions, ending with “How much is two plus two?” The engineer excused himself, and made a series of measurements and calculations before returning to the board room and announcing, “Four.”

The physicist was next interviewed, and was asked the same questions. Before answering the last question, he excused himself, made for the library, and did a great deal of research. After a consultation with the United States Bureau of Standards and many calculations, he also announced “Four.”

The lawyer was interviewed last, and was asked the same questions. At the end of his interview, before answering the last question, he drew all the shades in the room, looked outside the door to see if anyone was there, checked the telephone for listening devices, and asked “How much do you want it to be?”

We need lawyers and I am sure that many are hard-working, honest people. As a matter of fact, I have some as friends. The reading from Luke’s Gospel may feature a lawyer, but the theme goes further than that. The material used for this year’s ecumenical service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was developed by Christians from Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso, literally “the land of upright people,” is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a low-income Sahelian country with limited natural resources. Its economy is largely based on agriculture, although gold exports are on the rise. It is a country known for its simple and hard-working national character.

The service explores how we find our common identity in the experience of God’s love. The specific context of Burkina Faso – in particular its fractured history – reflects the need to place love at the centre of the quest for peace and reconciliation.

The introduction to the materials notes that this quest has often been undermined by the loss of values and of a shared sense of humanity, and by a diminished concern for the common good, probity, integrity, and patriotism. “The search for reconciliation has also been weakened by spiritual impoverishment and by the pursuit of easy gains,” reads the introduction. “Faced with these realities, the imperative to witness to the love of God is all the more pressing.” We could perhaps say that that is not limited to Burkina Faso; it applies to our part of the word too.

The introduction also notes that Christian communities in Burkina Faso try to live the call to love through mutual hospitality.

“We have been invited to live the divine call to love God and our neighbour as ourselves,” reads one prayer of intercession. “As we renew our commitment to this call, may this love strengthen our unity as Christians.”

So, what do we do with this theme of hospitality in the context of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? How does it speak to us and how do we respond?

I am struck by the way the two readings are saying something about it, and are, in a way, holding up a mirror to us. And I am also struck by the way the words ‘hospital’ and ‘hospitality’ are connected.

The word ‘hospital’ comes from the Latin ‘hospes’, signifying a stranger or foreigner, hence a guest. Another noun derived from this, hospitium came to signify hospitality, that is the relation between guest and shelterer, hospitality, friendliness, and hospitable reception. Now isn’t that a remarkable connection between the two readings…

First of all, the story in Genesis 18, of the Lord’s visit to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. When Abraham looked up, he saw three men standing near him and he ran to meet them and bowed to the ground in greeting, offering hospitality to them. It is interesting that he addresses them in the singular, ‘My Lord,’, although he recognises them as three. This story is famously portrayed in the Rublev Icon, also known as the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all looking at one another and also, strangely, at us, as if to invite us into the holy circle. There is food on the table, the calf that was prepared as the story tells us. Abraham offered hospitality, that is: food and shelter, with friendliness and generosity. His hospitality, in other words, was sincere; he did not skimp.

In Luke’s Gospel, we find the parable of the Good Samaritan. Here, too, hospitality is offered, with that central notion of ‘hospital’: not by the most obvious of people, like a priest or a Levite, responsible for religious leadership. One of the most unlikely people, rather, a man from the despised people of Samaria, he came to the rescue of the man who had fallen into the hands of robbers and left for dead by the side of the road. Not only did this Samaritan take pity and offer first aid, he also took time to put him on his own animal and take him to an inn, staying with him and giving the innkeeper money for his care until his return. Top marks as a first aid responder!

Two readings, then, each giving us a story about generosity and care, about looking after the wellbeing of the other, without asking for anything in return. In the first one, in Genesis, there is a lavishness in Abraham’s offering of food and shelter, including washing of dusty feet. [The story continues with the question from the Lord and his own generous hospitality toward Abraham and Sarah in the promise of a son.]

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the man who received care was in no position to give anything back in return. He was at the mercy of the goodwill of the Samaritan. It can be tempting to offer hospitality with ‘strings attached’, like the idea that ‘if I give you this, you will give me that’. But true hospitality is not like that at all. It gives what is needed, and is perhaps reciprocated but perhaps not. That should not be an issue.

In the context of Christian Unity, we may wonder how we do that. In most parishes, churches are working with other denominations in Churches Together, like we do in our Benefice. Yes, we are from different denominations, with a preferred way of worship, but we are all part of the Body of Christ that God has called to be one. And hospitality is a gift that we can share as one in the way we are church in this area. Not forced, or ignoring the differences, but, in humility, celebrating our common connection with God and with one another as Christians, followers of Christ, who came to save us all. True hospitality has that central notion of hospital, of nursing and healing. Wellbeing is a favoured topic nowadays, and some of the things that the churches do is around that: looking after body and soul, offering refreshments and chats or a safe space to be and share our humanity. The ministry of tea and cake. I like cake, not just for its own sake, but for what it comes with: community, connection. Cake says care, generosity, love. Too much sugar is not good for us, but ‘a spoon-full of sugar helps the medicine go down’, as the song says

[‘In every job that must be done

There is an element of fun

You find the fun and... snap!

The job's a game

And every task you undertake

Becomes a piece of cake

A lark! A spree!

It's very clear to see

That... a...

Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

The medicine go do--own

The medicine go down

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful way’]

We have been called to be the salt of the earth, for preservation and flavour, but maybe we could add a bit of sugar to that calling, to brighten the day for someone else. So that true hospitality and love may grow and give honour to the One who offered everything for us. Amen.