Hospitality in Action: Making Room for Everyone

Sep 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When "Regular Times" Exclude the Uninitiated

A church sign declaring "welcome at the regular times" reveals how insider language becomes a barrier. True hospitality requires dismantling assumptions about what newcomers know. Like requiring a secret handshake for entry, undefined phrases exclude those unfamiliar with church culture. Jesus confronts religious leaders who gatekeep God’s kingdom through systems of earned belonging. The parable of two sons exposes how actions—not pious words—reveal obedience. Welcoming demands clarity, not coded language. [36:50]

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. (Matthew 21:28-31, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you assumed “everyone knows” unspoken church norms? What practical step could make your community’s welcome more accessible to those without insider knowledge?

Day 2: An Open Table Demands Open Hands

Communion’s power lies not in theological declarations but in how the bread is shared. An open table becomes truly open when no one fumbles for hymnals alone, when liturgy is explained without condescension, when differences in dress or doubt are met with radical belonging. Jesus’ table flips religious exclusivity, prioritizing tax collectors and Pharisees alike. Our actions—passing the cup patiently, printing prayers visibly, captions imperfectly—proclaim grace louder than any sermon. [47:00]

“Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.” (1 Corinthians 11:26-28, NIV)

Reflection: How does your physical posture during communion—holding the elements, making eye contact, assisting others—communicate welcome to those unsure if they “qualify”?

Day 3: Name Tags as Love Letters to Strangers

Wearing name tags seems trivial until you’re the visitor who forgot a name mid-conversation. Small acts—visible names, bulletins with page numbers, explaining “the red book”—become sacred gestures. These choices say, “We anticipated your unfamiliarity.” Like Jesus translating parables for confused disciples, hospitality names the unspoken anxiety of being new. When we plan for the lost, we embody the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine. [49:15]

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7, NIV)

Reflection: What mundane detail in your church’s space or routine might confuse a first-time visitor? How could you reimagine it as an act of radical hospitality?

Day 4: Pharisees Get a Head Start in Grace

Jesus startles listeners by claiming sinners enter God’s kingdom before religious elites. Not instead of—but ahead of. Grace runs toward those the system excluded, yet leaves the door open for rule-keepers to follow. The Father’s vineyard needs workers, not gatekeepers. Our challenge isn’t abandoning doctrine but ensuring our traditions make space for those still learning when to stand, pray, or doubt aloud. [44:27]

“But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’... I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:2,7, NIV)

Reflection: Who feels “behind” in your community’s perception? How might you actively celebrate their “head start” in receiving grace?

Day 5: The Work Never Done, the Door Never Closed

Hospitality isn’t a sign to hang but muscles to strengthen. It’s correcting captions mid-service, relearning hymns for new voices, laughing when someone sits during the standing hymn. Like the father waiting for both sons, we keep adjusting the welcome. Jesus confronts the Pharisees not to shame but to say, “You still have time.” An open church isn’t a finish line—it’s choosing daily to widen the circle. [52:43]

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you said “all are welcome” while resisting changes that would prove it? What one action this week could align your deeds with that claim?

Sermon Summary

A church sign that says, “At the regular times, welcome,” exposes the gap between words and actions. The sign assumes insider knowledge, and that assumption quietly tells strangers that welcome belongs to people who already know the rules. Hospitality cannot be a nice word on a sign if people need a secret handshake just to know when to show up.

Jesus brings that same issue right into the open in his confrontation with the Pharisees. The Pharisees question Jesus’ authority the day after he turns over the tables in the temple, threatening a system that has served them well. Jesus answers their question with a question about John’s baptism, and then tells the story of two sons. One son says he will work in the vineyard but does not go. The other says no, but then goes and does the work. The father’s will is revealed not by the right answer, but by the action.

Jesus then turns the Pharisees’ own answer back on them. The tax collectors and others they have kept on the outside are entering the kingdom of God before them, because those people have recognized grace, hope, love, peace, and joy when they see it. Jesus does not say “instead of you.” Jesus says “before you.” Even while confronting religious hypocrisy, Jesus refuses to give up on the people fighting him. Grace tells the truth, challenges what is wrong, and still refuses to close the door.

An open table is not open because somebody says it is. An open, welcoming, and affirming church is not open because those words appear on a website, a bulletin, or a sign on the corner of Linden and Jefferson. Actions mean everything. An open church makes room for the person who does not know when to stand, cannot find the hymnal, does not know the Lord’s Prayer, needs closed captions, wears something unfamiliar, votes differently, loves differently, or carries a past others do not understand.

Hospitality is not hanging out with people who already belong. Hospitality makes room for someone who does not know the regular times. The kingdom has room for the tax collector and the Pharisee, the longtime member and the newcomer, the certain and the doubting, the saint and the screw up. Christ’s refusal to give up on people becomes the measure of whether welcome is real. Loud and tangible actions must say what the sign claims: “You are wanted here.”

Key Takeaways

1. Welcome requires more than words Words such as “all are welcome” can become empty when a church assumes everybody already knows its language, rhythms, and expectations. Real welcome removes unnecessary barriers before a newcomer has to ask. Hospitality is seen in the details that help people belong without being embarrassed. [38:57]
2. Actions reveal the father’s will Jesus’ story of the two sons makes obedience concrete. The son who finally enters the vineyard, despite his earlier refusal, does what the father wants. Religious language, good intentions, and correct answers cannot replace the actual work of following God. [43:08]
3. Grace refuses to close the door Jesus confronts the Pharisees without giving up on them. “Before you” leaves room for repentance, growth, and a changed heart, even for people resisting God’s work. Grace is not pretending that sin does not matter, but refusing to declare anyone beyond its reach. [51:35]
4. Hospitality makes room for outsiders Hospitality begins where comfort ends. It welcomes people who do not know the rules, share the assumptions, or fit the familiar mold. A church becomes open when its actions tell unfamiliar people that they do not have to become insiders before they can be received. [49:51]
5. There is room around the table Christ’s table holds the certain and the doubting, the saint and the screw up, the longtime member and the person arriving for the first time. No one earns a place by passing a theology test or mastering church culture. The open table reveals the wide mercy of God and calls the church to embody it.

## [52:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:29] - The Church Sign and “Regular Times”
[38:57] - When Actions Contradict Welcome
[41:25] - Jesus Confronts the Pharisees
[42:44] - The Two Sons in the Vineyard
[43:42] - Entering the Kingdom Before the Pharisees
[45:06] - Jesus Refuses to Give Up
[46:22] - What Makes an Open Table Open
[47:32] - Actions Make a Church Welcoming
[48:32] - Practical Signs of Hospitality
[49:51] - Hospitality Beyond Familiar People
[51:35] - Grace Keeps the Door Open
[52:43] - Room for Everyone Around the Table
[53:49] - Let Actions Say Welcome

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 21:28-32
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? ‘The first,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” [42:44]

Matthew 21:23-27
“Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you this authority?’ Jesus replied, ‘I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will ask, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’ Then he said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” [41:25]

Matthew 21:12-13
“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘“My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it “a den of robbers.” [42:05]

Observation questions

What question do the chief priests and elders ask Jesus after he enters the temple, and how does Jesus respond to them? [42:25]
In the parable of the two sons, what does each son say he will do, and what does each one actually do?
What answer do the religious leaders give when Jesus asks which son did the father’s will, and how does their answer expose the difference between words and actions? [43:13]
What specific actions make a church easier to enter for someone who does not know the prayers, the hymnal, when to stand, or where to find help? [47:56]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus connect the religious leaders’ response to John’s baptism with the story of the two sons? What does this reveal about their resistance to God’s work?
Jesus says that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom “before” the religious leaders, not “instead of” them. How does that wording hold together both a serious warning and continued hope? [51:30]
What does the parable suggest about the difference between giving the “right” religious answer and actually doing the Father’s will?
Why is welcoming people who already understand church culture different from hospitality? What makes hospitality require more than friendliness toward familiar people? [49:51]

Application questions

Think about a time when you entered a new church, group, school, or workplace. What helped you feel wanted, and what made you feel like an outsider?
What are some “regular times” or unwritten rules in church life that newcomers may not understand? What is one simple way this group or church could make one of those barriers easier to cross? [50:35]
Jesus’ parable calls attention to the gap between what people say and what they do. Is there an area of faith, service, forgiveness, or generosity where good intentions have not yet become action? What might one faithful next step look like?
A real welcome includes people who dress differently, vote differently, love differently, have doubts, or carry a past that others do not understand. Which kinds of difference are easiest for you to welcome, and which ones stretch you most? [48:44]
Jesus does not excuse the Pharisees’ actions, but he does not give up on them. Is there someone you have been tempted to dismiss, avoid, or consider beyond change? How could grace help you tell the truth while leaving room for God to work? [51:49]
What tangible action could you take this week to help another person hear—not merely in words, but in practice—“You are wanted here”? [54:00]

Sermon Clips

39s

#NeverGiveUp

“So today and every day, when we say that everyone is welcome in this church, my friends, those can't just be words on a sign on the corner of Linden And Jefferson. That doesn't mean a thing. It's our actions, our loud and tangible actions that will let people know if they truly are welcomed here.”

48s

#RadicalHospitality

“So it's a challenge because the easiest thing in the world to do is to welcome people who already know the regular times. It's easy to welcome people who already know the rules. It's easy to welcome people who know the language, know when to stand, know when to sit down, know what to say and when to say it. It's easy to welcome those who know what communion actually means. It's easy to welcome those who look like us and think like us and act like us. But that is not hospitality. That's just hanging out with people who already belong.”

37s

#NoOneBeyondGrace

“Jesus says they're going ahead of you, not instead of you, ahead of you. Jesus doesn't even give up on the people who are fighting him. There's still room for them. That's grace. Look, grace doesn't mean that Jesus ignores what the Pharisees are doing. He confronts them, he challenges them. He tells them that they've gotten all of this terribly wrong, but he never closes the door on them.”

60s

#InclusiveFaith

“Hospitality is making room for someone who doesn't know the regular times, and that's the truth underneath the truth of this hypothetical situation that Jesus sets up. Jesus isn't just saying, do what you say you're going to do. He's saying that the people whom the religious establishment decided didn't belong were already finding their way into the kingdom of God. He was saying they get it, They understand they've been welcomed by a God who is massively welcoming, by a Jesus who is massively inclusive. They're going to get there before Pharisees.”

33s

#WelcomeInAction

“Elm Park, United Methodist Church on the corner of Linden And Jefferson and Scranton is not an open, welcoming, and affirming church just because we say it is. It's an open, welcoming, and affirming church based our actions and our actions alone.”

38s

#UnconditionalGrace

“And look, I dislike the Pharisees just as much as the next guy. I cheer on Jesus when he shuts up the Pharisees and I say, oh, yeah, way to go, Jesus. You showed them, you know, just like everyone does. But I find it strangely hopeful and beautiful that Jesus is not even willing to give up on his enemies and people who outwardly oppose him. We could learn a lot from Jesus.”

39s

#AllMeansAll

“Because this is as straightforward as Jesus gets. Actions speak louder than words, but what is the truth directly underneath the truth? I think I think the truth directly underneath the truth is that we can't give up on anyone, as a denomination that professes to be an open denomination, especially as a denomination that has decided that all means when we say that all are welcome.”

57s

#GraceGoesFirst

“And I don't know about you, but that feels oddly hopeful to me. Because these are, in fact, enemies of Jesus, And Jesus is not saying that these people are going to enter the kingdom of God instead of you. He says they're going to enter the kingdom of God before Basically meaning, they get it. They understand the work of God in the world. They understand what God is doing. They understand grace and hope and love and peace and joy, and you don't. And so, they got it before you did. They're entering the kingdom of God now.”

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Elm Park United Methodist Church This sermon · AI assistant

What makes hospitality different from simply hanging out?

How can churches make welcome tangible through actions?

Why does Jesus refuse to give up on Pharisees?