### Summary

Today, we explored the profound theme of hospitality, emphasizing that each person's presence is a gift to the community. We began by acknowledging the importance of recognizing and appreciating each other, whether in person or online. Hospitality extends beyond the church walls, as demonstrated by our recent events like the Veg Fest and the upcoming vow renewal ceremony. We also remembered those who have passed, like Diaz Bonville, and celebrated achievements within our community, such as Marcy's gold medal in Special Olympics.

The sermon then transitioned to a personal story about my journey to ministry, highlighting the importance of both inward and outward calls. This story served as a reminder that our worth is not determined by human validation but by God's love. We delved into Deuteronomy, understanding that the law is rooted in love and relationship. God's commandments are not just rules but expressions of love meant for our well-being.

We are called to remember our own experiences of feeling like outsiders and use that empathy to welcome others. This perspective-taking, as Brene Brown calls it, helps us connect deeply with others, eliminating judgment and fostering genuine relationships. The story of Robert and Kayla illustrated how acts of kindness and empathy can transform strangers into family, embodying the true spirit of the church.

In conclusion, we are invited to extend this hospitality beyond the church, recognizing that every person we meet is loved by God. By remembering our own experiences of exclusion, we can create inclusive, loving environments wherever we go, reflecting the grace and love of Jesus.

### Key Takeaways

1. **The Gift of Presence**: Each person's presence in the community is a gift. Recognizing and appreciating each other fosters a sense of belonging and love. This acknowledgment is a form of hospitality that strengthens our communal bonds. [08:33]

2. **Inward and Outward Call**: Our worth is not determined by human validation but by God's love. The inward call we feel must be affirmed by the community, but it does not define our value. This understanding helps us navigate our spiritual journeys with confidence and humility. [55:04]

3. **Law Rooted in Love**: The commandments in Deuteronomy are expressions of God's love meant for our well-being. They remind us to love God and our neighbors, encapsulating the essence of all laws. This perspective transforms rules into relational guidelines that nurture our spiritual growth. [01:01:21]

4. **Empathy and Perspective-Taking**: Remembering our own experiences of feeling like outsiders helps us empathize with others. This empathy eliminates judgment and fosters genuine connections, allowing us to create inclusive and loving environments. [01:03:05]

5. **Extending Hospitality Beyond Church**: Acts of kindness and empathy, like those shown by Kayla to Robert, embody the true spirit of the church. We are called to extend this hospitality beyond the church walls, recognizing that every person we meet is loved by God. [01:11:15]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[08:33] - The Gift of Presence
[10:10] - Remembering Diaz Bonville
[11:56] - Celebrating Community Achievements
[55:04] - Inward and Outward Call
[56:43] - Personal Journey to Ministry
[58:17] - The Challenge of "Not Yet"
[59:46] - Deuteronomy and Love
[01:01:21] - Law Rooted in Love
[01:03:05] - Empathy and Perspective-Taking
[01:04:51] - Creating Inclusive Environments
[01:06:24] - Welcoming Each Other
[01:07:53] - Extending Hospitality Beyond Church
[01:09:37] - Story of Robert and Kayla
[01:11:15] - Transforming Strangers into Family
[01:15:44] - Closing Blessing

### Bible Reading
1. Deuteronomy 10:12-19 (NIV)
> "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."

### Observation Questions
1. What does Deuteronomy 10:12-19 say about the relationship between God's commandments and love?
2. How does the passage describe God's actions towards the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner?
3. According to the sermon, how does remembering our own experiences of feeling like outsiders help us empathize with others? ([01:03:05])
4. What personal story did the pastor share to illustrate the inward and outward call to ministry? ([55:04])

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding that God's commandments are rooted in love change the way we view and follow them? ([01:01:21])
2. In what ways can remembering our own experiences of exclusion help us create more inclusive environments in our church and community? ([01:03:05])
3. How does the story of Robert and Kayla illustrate the concept of extending hospitality beyond the church walls? ([01:11:15])
4. What does the pastor's personal journey to ministry teach us about the importance of both inward and outward calls? ([55:04])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like an outsider. How can that experience help you empathize with and welcome others in your community? ([01:03:05])
2. Think about someone in your church or community who might feel excluded. What specific actions can you take this week to make them feel more included and valued? ([01:06:24])
3. How can you practice the gift of presence in your daily interactions, both within and outside the church? ([08:33])
4. In what ways can you extend hospitality beyond the church walls, similar to how Kayla and the hotel staff did for Robert? ([01:11:15])
5. How can you remind yourself and others that our worth is determined by God's love and not by human validation? ([55:04])
6. What steps can you take to ensure that your actions and attitudes reflect the law rooted in love as described in Deuteronomy 10:12-19? ([01:01:21])
7. Identify one person in your life who might need a gesture of kindness or empathy. What specific action can you take to show them God's love this week? ([01:03:05])

**Day 1: The Gift of Presence**

**Description:** Each person's presence in the community is a gift that fosters a sense of belonging and love. Recognizing and appreciating each other, whether in person or online, strengthens our communal bonds. This acknowledgment is a form of hospitality that extends beyond the church walls, as demonstrated by events like the Veg Fest and the upcoming vow renewal ceremony. By celebrating achievements within our community and remembering those who have passed, we honor the unique contributions of each individual. This practice of hospitality helps us see each person as a valuable part of our community, reflecting the love and grace of God. [08:33]

**Bible Passage:** "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:9-10, ESV)

**Reflection:** Think of someone in your community whose presence you often take for granted. How can you show them appreciation and honor today?


**Day 2: Inward and Outward Call**

**Description:** Our worth is not determined by human validation but by God's love. The inward call we feel must be affirmed by the community, but it does not define our value. This understanding helps us navigate our spiritual journeys with confidence and humility. By sharing personal stories of our journeys to ministry, we remind ourselves that our true worth comes from God's love and not from human approval. This perspective allows us to embrace our spiritual callings with a sense of purpose and assurance, knowing that we are valued by God. [55:04]

**Bible Passage:** "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10, ESV)

**Reflection:** Reflect on a time when you sought validation from others. How can you shift your focus to seeking God's approval instead?


**Day 3: Law Rooted in Love**

**Description:** The commandments in Deuteronomy are expressions of God's love meant for our well-being. They remind us to love God and our neighbors, encapsulating the essence of all laws. This perspective transforms rules into relational guidelines that nurture our spiritual growth. By understanding that God's commandments are rooted in love and relationship, we can see them as pathways to a deeper connection with God and others. This understanding helps us approach God's laws not as burdens but as loving instructions for a fulfilling life. [01:01:21]

**Bible Passage:** "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 10:12, ESV)

**Reflection:** How can you view a specific commandment of God as an expression of His love for you today?


**Day 4: Empathy and Perspective-Taking**

**Description:** Remembering our own experiences of feeling like outsiders helps us empathize with others. This empathy eliminates judgment and fosters genuine connections, allowing us to create inclusive and loving environments. By practicing perspective-taking, as Brene Brown calls it, we can connect deeply with others and build relationships based on understanding and compassion. This approach helps us welcome others into our community with open hearts, reflecting the inclusive love of Jesus. [01:03:05]

**Bible Passage:** "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." (Romans 12:15-16, ESV)

**Reflection:** Think of a time when you felt like an outsider. How can you use that experience to empathize with someone who might be feeling the same way today?


**Day 5: Extending Hospitality Beyond Church**

**Description:** Acts of kindness and empathy, like those shown by Kayla to Robert, embody the true spirit of the church. We are called to extend this hospitality beyond the church walls, recognizing that every person we meet is loved by God. By remembering our own experiences of exclusion, we can create inclusive, loving environments wherever we go. This practice of extending hospitality reflects the grace and love of Jesus, transforming strangers into family and building a community rooted in God's love. [01:11:15]

**Bible Passage:** "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2, ESV)

**Reflection:** Identify one person outside your usual circle whom you can show hospitality to this week. What specific action can you take to make them feel welcomed and loved?

1. "Every single one of us, every one of us has value and worth because God loves us, and so this is not about your sense of worth, but the second thing is it's not about your calling. And so, you know, you may have experienced a call. This is part of that outward call in affirming how that call is to take shape, but this doesn't mean that you don't have a call." [58:17] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "God set his heart in love, and that love includes all of you. This beautiful sense that this relationship that God is trying to build with all of us is founded on love and on God's choosing us. God wanting us to know that we are loved, that we are valued, that we have been chosen by God just to receive that love, just like everyone else has been chosen by God to receive that love." [01:01:21] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "Remember that we were once strangers in Egypt, right? And so, to remember what it was like to be an outsider, to remember what it was like to be estranged, to be alienated, to be a foreigner, to be someone who is not a part of the in-group, and I guarantee you, I can look around, and I bet every single one of you, if I asked for a raise of hand, has felt like an outsider at some point or other, right?" [01:03:05] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "Empathy connects us with other people because you're saying, I understand. Not, I haven't walked your path. But there is something in me that can understand what you're going through. And so, this empathy allows us to create a place that is open, like God creates, a place that is open, that is safe, that is welcoming, that is loving and kind, that, that, looks at someone and wonders, what might their needs be?" [01:04:51] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "I invite you, as we continue to deepen our hospitality as a community, to think about, who can I invite to go with me to fellowship? Look around after church. Many of us are talking in our groups, which is awesome, it's a gift, but look around for the one who's not included, and go, and include them." [01:07:53] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "You have the ability to remember that you are loved by God, and so is every single person you encounter. And you have the call to remember what it's like to be an outsider, so that whatever you do can welcome all into that amazing circle of God's love. That's an invitation for us today. That's how we continue to be hospitable, not only here, but wherever we go, so that people experience that amazing grace that Jesus offers us in love." [01:11:15] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "Go knowing you are loved, and go loving all those you encounter." [01:15:44] (6 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

You can't make a fool of me, my friend.

Beautiful part of that community, and your presence here is a gift not only to us, but your presence here is a gift to each one of you.

So as you look around, I want you to just sit, think in your mind, thank you, Lord, like we just sang, right? Thank you, Lord. Thank you for this person. Thank you for that person, because each of you truly is a gift.

We invite you to give us the gift of your presence, whether you're joining us online or in person. If you're joining us online, we invite you to say hello in the chat, and maybe tell us where you're joining us from. And if you're joining us here in person, if you would sign in on one of the blue connection pads. This is a way that we get to know you by name, that we say to you, your name is so critically important to us, but it's also a way you can get to know each other by name.

So as we continue to explore this theme of hospitality, I invite you to think about introducing yourself to another person who's here, maybe someone you haven't seen in a long time, or maybe someone you don't remember or don't know, but to take that time and introduce yourselves.

And because we are a community of love and care, we also try to be a community of hospitality as we continue our theme. And so that starts long before people walk into this church.

So part of our hospitality was yesterday hosting a Veg Fest. Part of our hospitality is parking. So you may have seen along the road, on Holland Glade Road, where people used to be able to park in the grass. There's now a little fence there because they are creating a bike pathway there. So there's no more parking on the grass, but we're making room for people to ride their bikes.

Also, we're making room to celebrate, yes, to celebrate people who were unable to get married in the church because of the United Methodist Church's rules. So we're having a vow renewal, and actually one wedding, on Friday night. And you can see this beautiful, beautiful banner that Jeannie Marsh and Murray collaborated on and put together. It's a beautiful image of a heart and a Trinitarian kind of Celtic theme.

But all of you are invited to that on Friday night to celebrate, but also wanted to let you know that we know some people who were unable to get married in the church, whose spouses or significant others have gone on to that beautiful, eternal presence with God. So there is going to be a memorial time during this service as well. So if you've lost someone who's close to you, your spouse, we invite you to come and participate in that.

And also, because we care about community, I wanted to let you know that a friend of this community, he's not a member of this community, but he's a friend of this community, Diaz Bonville, passed away yesterday. So we want to remember him, and we'll send out details when we know any of them. But right now, we just know that he did pass away. Diaz was big in the West Rehoboth community. He was a big part of our community when we were working with Faith in Israel on bridging the divide. And many of you, I know, would know him by face, if you don't know him by name.

So we want to remember him, and also because we celebrate all the joy of community, I want to invite Donna and Marcy. Is Marcy here? No. If you would just come up and share. I want to share that Marcy won a gold medal for the first time in bowling in Special Olympics, and it was her first time ever. I mean, she practiced, but let me get you a microphone. You go.

And Donna here took bronze.

Good morning, and thank you all.

So we do want to thank you all for your support of our Meet Me ministry that has gotten started again last night. It took a break over the summer, and today, we're going to be doing a Sunday school. So what a gift that you all are a hospitable community that welcomes all, that celebrates when each of us has accomplished something, but also that surrounds all of us with that love and care.

So now that we've kind of celebrated our community and transitioned to getting here, I'm going to invite you to rise in body or in spirit as we remember that hospitality is loving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.

Let's sing.

What a beautiful testimony. A beautiful testimony to you all and to the hospitality that you all offer. What an amazing gift. I thank God so much. Thank you. Amen.

So in June, I was elected the chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry in the Peninsula Delaware Conference. The Board of Ordained Ministry is responsible for credentialing our pastors, interviewing them, making sure they have the right theological understanding, making sure they have the gifts and the graces for ministry, and making sure that they are both ready when they get commissioned and effective when they get ordained.

So this week then, I went to meet with some of the people who are going to come before the board this year, and as I was driving over to Pecometh, which is where I was meeting them, I started just placing myself back into that place again, gosh, 35 years ago maybe, and thinking about what they must be feeling.

So when I was called to ministry, I shared that with my pastor, who happened to be my father, and I was expecting some affirmation or support or joy, and I didn't get any of that from my dad. I mean, he was, you know, nice about it, but he just was a little hesitant, and I took that hesitation as meaning that he, who probably knew me better than most people in this world, didn't think I was worthy, or that somehow there was something wrong with my call.

So I went back to Rhode Island. I was still in the Navy, and I kind of put my calling on hold and just thought, well, you know, if one of the ones who knows me best isn't really affirming my call, then maybe I'm not really called.

In our understanding of a call, you experience an inward call, but then that is affirmed by the community, which is considered an outward call. So God wouldn't let me go, and so I thought, okay, I'm going to have to try this again.

So I went down and was talking to my dad, and I said, you know, I really can't let go of this, and you know, I guess I feel like this isn't something that you feel like I'm worthy of, and he's like, oh my gosh. He's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. That is not it at all. He said, I can see that you are called. I can see that you have the gifts and graces, and he said, and I've been a pastor for a long time, and I know how churches eat pastors up, and he said, so please don't blame me for wanting to protect my daughter, because it's a tough life. It's a tough calling, and boy, I can see all of our retired pastors here going, uh-huh.

Uh-huh, because you know that's true, but how wonderful then that I was able to talk to my dad and to hear that it wasn't because he didn't think I was worthy or that he didn't think that my call was genuine.

So all of this was going through my head as I was driving over to Pecometh, and I thought, what would I like to say to these candidates, and I thought there are really two things I want to say to them. One is that when you come before the board of ordained ministry, yes, it is an accountability piece, and it is a caring piece, but it is not about your worth as a child of God. It is not about your worth.

Every single one of us, every one of us has value and worth because God loves us, and so this is not about your sense of worth, but the second thing is it's not about your calling.

And so, you know, you may have experienced a call. This is part of that outward call in affirming how that call is to take shape, but this doesn't mean that you don't have a call.

And I said, I want to also tell you one other thing, because I thought, you know, this is something that would be nice for people who might be told not yet to hear. When someone comes before the board and we feel like they're not quite ready, we will tell them, not yet.

But do you know how hard it is to hear a not yet? You've written all of these theological answers to questions. Some of them are pages and pages long. You've prepared, you've studied, you've gone to school and gotten your master's, and now you come before the board and you hear, not yet.

And I said, if you hear that, I want you to know that that actually is both accountability and love. I said, it may not sound very loving, but what we're trying to do is to make sure that when we throw you in the deep end of the pool, you can swim.

And if you're still trying to float and you haven't, you know, mastered some of those strokes, we don't want to throw you in the deep end, because that will not be helpful for you. We want to keep you in the shallow end where we can continue to provide support and love.

And so, you know, I saw several people tearing up as I was sharing this, because several of them had been torn apart. And I said, well, I'm not going to throw you in the deep end. I'm going to not yet, before.

And yet, I wanted to remind them that this isn't about who you are, because God has already answered that. You are loved. You are chosen by God.

And yet, there is this sense of an outward call and an inward call that I think, oddly, Deuteronomy and this passage especially are struggling with.

So, Deuteronomy is considered it stands for the second law. And I got to tell you, when I read through the Bible in a year or have some other reading plans, and I think the only one worse than Deuteronomy, well, there might be two, Numbers and Leviticus. I mean, you know, it's like, oh, really, you got to be kidding me.

And yet, there is such love in this book and in this passage. Most scholars believe that this was written actually by God. And so, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you, after Israel had been taken into exile, and they were released, and they were coming back, because the book is about shaping their identity. It's about reminding them who they are.

And so, the law is seen through the lens of love and relationship. If you listen to this passage, there were two things that really caught my attention. And one was that we're supposed to love and serve God for our own well-being.

You see, God wants this law that, remember, Jesus summarized, right, as love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, right? So, I don't think we're supposed to go back and follow every single law that was there. I think that law was applicable for that time.

And yet, all of the law can be summed up with this love. And so, this love was about being in relationship, and it was for our own well-being.

But then, if you go down further in that paragraph, it says, because God set his heart in love on your ancestors and has chosen you. I love that sense. God set his heart in love, and that love includes all of you.

This beautiful sense that this relationship that God is trying to build with all of us is founded on love and on God's choosing us. God wanting us to know that we are loved, that we are valued, that we have been chosen by God just to receive that love, just like everyone else has been chosen by God to receive that love.

Not everyone is able to see it or experience it, but that love is. And so, that's part of our identity.

But then he goes on to say what our calling is. And that calling is to remember that we were once strangers in Egypt, right? And so, to remember what it was like to be an outsider, to remember what it was like to be estranged, to be alienated, to be a foreigner, to be someone who is not a part of the in-group, and I guarantee you, I can look around, and I bet every single one of you, if I asked for a raise of hand, has felt like an outsider at some point or other, right?

So, we all know what that feels like. And so, God says, remember that, and then use that memory to love other people who feel estranged now, to love those strangers among us.

And so, we use those painful experiences of our lives to now allow that to be a place of ministry, the way we care for others, the way we include others, the way we help others experience that amazing, unconditional love of God.

And so, there's that identity and that calling right here in this passage. And that calling invites us to empathize with other people, to remember. Maybe, you know, obviously, we have not been slaves in Egypt, but we can empathize with that, right? We all know what it's like to be somewhere else.

So, it's this call to, Brene Brown calls it perspective-taking, to look at another person and to think, what must that be like to walk in their shoes? Remember, you were once strangers in Egypt. What must it be like to walk in their shoes?

And when we have this sense of perspective-taking, it stops all judgment. Because why would we judge someone if we begin to understand how their life has been? We don't judge them. But instead, we begin to recognize the emotions that we might also feel in that sense.

And we use those emotions to connect us. Brene Brown says that sympathy actually works to disconnect people. Because you're saying you feel sorry for them. Empathy connects us with other people because you're saying, I understand.

Not, I haven't walked your path. But there is something in me that can understand what you're going through. And so, this empathy allows us to create a place that is open, like God creates, a place that is open, that is safe, that is welcoming, that is loving and kind, that looks at someone and wonders, what might their needs be?

You know, that anticipates what they might need, what they might want. I remember when I first came here, and my mother was still alive, and this was before COVID, which was only 12 weeks after I got here. And she would sit with me, and there were people who would come and intentionally sit with her, and then take her, she was having some mobility issues, walk with her into fellowship, so that, you know, they anticipated that need.

And so, you know, there's a sense of wondering, what is it that all of us, that that particular person needs in that particular setting, and then how can we remember what it was like to be in Egypt? How can we remember what it was like, and then to reach out in love?

And that's what God invites us to do. That's that. That piece of our calling.

And we don't have to just do it here, although certainly that is a piece of it, welcoming each other here. And don't think that because someone's been here forever, they don't need to be welcomed. I guarantee you, there is nothing like walking through this door and seeing people smile, and greet you by name, and embrace you, and know who you are.

I mean, that's just such a gift. And it's a gift that we can continue to give one another, we can be like that person, and I don't, to tell you the truth, don't even remember who it was, who invited my mother to go to fellowship.

I want to invite you, as we continue to deepen our hospitality as a community, to think about, who can I invite to go with me to fellowship? Look around after church. Many of us are talking in our groups, which is awesome, it's a gift, but look around for the one who's not included, and go, and include them.

And here is the irony of it, really the paradox, is that when we reach out to include another person, we ourselves feel included. Because who am I to welcome someone to Epworth, except I'm a part of Epworth, right?

So if you're not feeling like maybe you're included, one of the best things you can do is to reach out to someone else, because that way you experience a sense of inclusion as you include someone else.

And the most beautiful part of all is that this can move beyond the walls of this church, and it can go out into the community wherever you are.

So I read a story this week about a man named Robert who had a terrible kind of aggressive cancer, some sort of sarcoma, and his wife Terry, and he had had his leg removed from above the knee down to try to stop the spread of this cancer. So he was on crutches, and they had gone to Philly to one of the hospitals there, and they were from somewhere in upstate New York, and so they knew that they were going to have to stay after they consulted with the doctor, and so they were walking around trying to find a hotel.

So here he is on crutches walking around, and he comes to this hotel, and Kayla greets him, and Kayla says, what brings you to Philly? Why are you visiting? And they said, well, my husband Robert has cancer. And we're here for radiation, and we're going to need to stay for a while.

Well, what they didn't know was that Kayla's father was also struggling with an illness and was dying, and she was driving down to Delaware, of all places, to take care of him. And so she knew what it was like to be away from home, to be struggling with an illness.

So when they went to their doctor's appointment that afternoon, she went out and got a whole bunch of pillows to make it easier for him to sleep because he had tumors all down his back, and it was really hard to get comfortable.

The next morning, Terry came down, and they had missed coffee somehow, and so when they went to their radiation treatment that day, Kayla called and said, can we put a coffee machine in their room so that even if they missed the coffee, they wouldn't have to go to the doctor's appointment? And so they did, and so in the morning, they will still have coffee.

Well, suddenly, you know, they stayed for two weeks, and two weeks became more, and they got to know more of the staff. And so Kayla would take them and introduce them to the bellman or to the porter or to the house cleaner. And so she was introducing them as her friend. This is my friend Robert and Terry, and Robert's here undergoing radiation.

And, you know, so pretty soon, the whole situation was that they were going to be, and so he'd come back from an appointment, and as soon as he walked into, not the church, although it wasn't, the hotel, he would get a warm embrace by whoever was opening the door.

Hey, Robert, how'd it go today? How are you feeling? And then Kayla told her manager, so they started comping the room. They gave him a handicapped accessible room.

And then later, he was in the hospital, and it was his birthday. So the entire staff from that hotel came over to his hospital room with a cake they had made, with steak that he frequently ordered in that restaurant, with all sorts of balloons and things, and sang him happy birthday in this hospital room.

And then they found out that he was terminal, and it would be soon, and he needed to go on hospice. But they thought the trip home would just be too much for him.

So Kayla and that staff transformed a hotel room with a hospital bed, with a cot for the attending nurses to stay, with an adjoined room for Terry to stay. And they made his last days this amazing, beautiful gift. And he was surrounded by family.

He started off as a stranger in a strange city, and he ended up surrounded by a family. You tell me, was that the church? That was the church.

That's what we're called to be. It doesn't just have to be here. It's wherever you go. You have the ability to remember that you are loved by God, and so is every single person you encounter.

And you have the call to remember what it's like to be an outsider, so that whatever you do can welcome all into that amazing circle of God's love.

That's an invitation for us today. That's how we continue to be hospitable, not only here, but wherever we go, so that people experience that amazing grace that Jesus offers us in love. Amen.

I invite you now to go knowing that God has chosen to set his heart in love on you, and God calls you to remember what it's like to feel excluded, so that you can be that wonderful sign of hospitality to our world.

Go knowing you are loved, and go loving all those you encounter. Amen.