June 22nd, 2025 - "Surprise Party" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Matt Nelson: Welcome to the Sermon podcast from First United Methodist

Church in downtown Bentonville.

If you have questions related to what you hear today or just want to find

out more about the ministries at First United Methodist Church, please visit us

online at FUMCbentonville.org or check us out on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris: Welcome

to First United Methodist Church here in downtown Bentonville.

My name is Michelle Morrison.

I'm the lead pastor here, and it is a joy to welcome you in worship today.

We have been in a series on hospitality where we have been.

Reflecting on what it means to be truly welcoming.

And we finished that series up today.

And to do so, we're gonna hear from two passages, one in Luke and one in Genesis.

I'm gonna read these to you and to start out, the passage that we're

hearing from in Luke, we're kind of coming in in the middle of the story.

There are two people walking to Emmaus.

They're reflecting on how painful it is that they've lost Jesus in their life.

This third man joins them and starts talking to them about

scripture, so that's where we pick up, hear now the word of the Lord.

When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead.

But they urged him saying, stay with us.

It's nearly evening, and the day is almost over.

So he went in to stay with them.

After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed

it and broke it and gave it to them.

Their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, but he

disappeared from their sight.

They said to each other, warn our hearts on fire when he spoke

to us along the road and when he exclaimed the scriptures for us.

And then from Genesis, the Lord appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of

Mare while he sat at the entrance of his tent in the day's heat.

He looked up and suddenly saw three men standing near him.

As soon as he saw them, he ran from his tent entrance to

greet them and bowed deeply.

He said, SIRS, if you would be so kind, don't just pass by your servant.

Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and

refresh yourselves under the tree.

Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after

that, you may leave your servant and go on your way Since you have visited

your servant, they responded fine.

Do, just as you have said.

So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, hurry, need three sails of the

finest flour and make some baked goods.

Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a

young servant who prepared it quickly.

Then Abraham took butter milk and the calf that had been prepared

put the food in front of them and stood under the tree near them.

As they ate, they said to him, where's your wife, Sarah?

And he said, right here in the tent.

Then one of the men said, I will definitely return to you

about this time next year.

Then your wife, Sarah, will have a son.

Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.

This is the word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Let us pray.

Lord, open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes that we might see and know

the word you have for us this day.

In your holy name we pray, amen.

There was a man, he had traveled a long way.

He was ragged and tired, and worn out and dirty, and all he needed was

a place to sleep for the night and little food so that he might continue

on with his journey the next day.

So he comes into a town and he goes from house to house to house,

asking for a place of refuge, and every house has refused the man.

In fact, some have even threatened him with harm and violence.

Finally, he comes to one home and the one home greets him warmly and

welcomes him in, gives him a place to rest and food to eat, even though

they had little to share themselves.

The next morning, the family that had welcomes him in are awakened

to glory shining in their home, for the man has been transformed and

they realized that they welcomed God and God blesses the family.

And curses all of those who refused him.

This is a story from the Hebrew people and from Greece and from Norway and

France and Italy and Iran, and Russia and Africa, and North America and Central

America and South America and China.

As the people of faith, it is important for us to pay attention to the stories

that are in this holy book of ours.

But as people, it is important for us to pay attention to the stories that no

matter what culture you are in or where you come from, that story is told, and

the story that I just shared for with you in one form or another is shared in.

Every culture around the world, it is true to who we are as a

people gathered in community.

It is foundational and formational for us.

Stories like that are teaching us something.

So let's talk about what that story teaches us.

There are three important lessons in that story.

One is the danger of judging others.

Two is that divine justice is often disguised in everyday experiences.

And three, hospitality is a sacred act.

So let's take a look at those three lessons.

The first one, the danger of judging others.

So let's talk about how Abraham.

Could have responded how the two travelers to Emmaus could have responded.

After all, Abraham looks up and there are three men suddenly

standing in front of him.

No explanation.

Just out of nowhere.

They're suddenly there.

And in Emmaus, the two that are walking are in grief.

They have lost their Lord, they have lost to Jesus, and this guy shows up and

starts lecturing them about scripture.

Abraham could have responded out of terror suspicion.

He could have said to the three strangers, get on outta here.

I don't know.

You get out.

Or at the very least, he could have said, Hey, where are you from?

But he doesn't, he just says, oh, let me take care of you.

Let me welcome you into my home.

The two walking to Emmaus who have just been lectured by this random

dude walking down the road with them, could have said, all right, thanks.

Thanks for the listen to scripture.

We're home.

Go on.

But no, they urged him to stay with them.

Abraham and Sarah receive a blessing of a child as a result of their

hospitality and the travelers to Emmaus.

I get to sit down at the table with the risen Lord Christ, because

none of them stood in judgment of the stranger that was before them.

They were blessed because it is not our job to judge.

It is never our job to judge.

It is our job to respond and welcome and in love, and God is paying

attention to whether we do that or not.

Which is where we get to the divine justice is often

disguised in everyday encounters.

We are tested, we are watched to see how we welcome the stranger,

and there are results of that.

In the case of the two traveling to Emmaus, because of their

hospitality, they got to see.

Jesus risen and they got to know the truth of the resurrection.

They got to know that salvation is with them.

They got to know that.

Now, let's talk about Abraham and let's talk about what's happening in Genesis.

God is in the midst of a big old test in Genesis.

And it starts with Abraham seeing if Abraham is welcoming, and if Abraham

is, then he's worthy of a blessing.

Sometimes I think we do a disservice.

To the story of God and to all of you, because we cut off the story

and you don't hear the whole thing.

You're only hearing a tiny piece of the story in Genesis, a tiny piece.

But I would have to read about two chapters to you.

Uh, and that takes a while.

So I'm just gonna summarize.

This is the opening of about a two chapter story.

Abraham has offered the opportunity to welcome the strangers.

He succeeds, he receives a blessing, and then it's clear

that it's God who's before him.

So God and Abraham stand out on a hill and look out over Sodom and Gomorrah,

and God says, I'm going to destroy those towns for they are unrighteous.

And Abraham starts bargaining.

What if there's a hundred good people there, or a hundred righteous people?

Okay.

If there's a hundred, I won't destroy it.

Okay?

Okay.

Now, Abraham's got a vested interest here.

His nephew lot lives there.

So he says, okay, what about 50?

If there's 50 righteous people there, will you not destroy it?

Okay.

If there's 50, I won't destroy it.

Okay?

What if there's 10?

If there's 10 righteous people there, will you not destroy it?

Okay.

If there's 10.

Abraham should have kept going.

He should have gotten down to one, but he didn't stopped at 10.

And so the same three strangers, the same three strangers go into

Sodom and Gomorrah, and when they get there, they are treated to

threats of violence and abuse.

The only people that offer them safety are lot's, family.

And because they are inhospitable to strangers, lots family, as the

hospitable ones get to flee and everyone else gets burned to the ground,

we have so often read that story as a condemnation of homosexuality.

But it's a condemnation on those who are inhospitable to the stranger.

It is a continuation of that story.

It's the same story I opened with y'all.

Those who are inhospitable to the one who is wandering to the unknown one among us.

That's the only reason God gives in the Bible for burning a people to the ground.

And what have we done?

We have taken that story.

And used it to be inhospitable to people,

lest we think we are not still being tested.

We are.

We are being tested about how we welcome the stranger among us.

And I will tell you that this church gets the opportunity to

experience that test every week.

Every week we have someone new among us.

How do we do at that test on the whole, really?

Well, thank you all, but there's something I have to bring up.

I've addressed it twice from this pulpit in a nice way.

I'm done being nice.

Too often, it's not every week, it's not even every month, but that it happens at

all that someone comes into our space and someone tells them, you are in my pew.

I shared this story with a couple of people and they were like,

that doesn't really happen.

It really happens.

Y'all.

When you say that, I want you to know that you have failed the test.

You have failed the test.

You have looked in the face of someone you don't know, and you

think it's just a random person.

But I want you to understand you've looked in the face of Jesus Christ and

said, I don't want you sitting here.

Because everyone is made in the image of God.

Everyone is made in the image of God.

So if we refuse anyone a place, then we refuse God a place.

If we refuse anyone a place, then we refuse God.

A place.

And those of you that sat around and heard the person say it, and

were like, Ugh, but did nothing.

Now we're Methodist.

I know you're never gonna call somebody out.

That's not how we roll.

But what you can do is say, I would love it if you would sit next to me.

Please come sit next to me.

It would be my great honor for you to sit next to me because

hospitality is a sacred act.

Hospitality is part of our worship.

It's not something we do before people come into worship.

I mean, we do do that.

We have cookies and stuff and people greeting.

That's part of hospitality.

But hospitality is in this space.

How welcome do we make people feel in the house of God?

As the ones who welcome people into God's house, how welcome do we make them feel?

How loved do we make them feel?

How special do we make them feel?

So it starts not just in this space, but also before we ever get here.

When we get our hearts ready, we gotta get our hearts ready for

this sacred act of hospitality.

Every one of us in here has someone that drives us crazy.

Every one of us in here has someone that we hope we don't bump into today.

When you're getting ready for worship, I want you to imagine that

person's coming to church and it is your job to make them welcome.

Every one of us needs to get our heart that kind of ready.

That kind of ready.

And I also have another image for you that I think will help

us get our heart ready for that.

And that's the image of a surprise party.

Y'all did such a sweet thing for me about a year and a half ago when you threw me

a surprise party for my 50th birthday, and I felt so warm and loved and welcome,

but I also know you all had so much fun.

Trying very poorly to keep that secret and, and what a

joy and celebration it was.

And we gathered like that every week.

When we gather for worship on Sunday, it should be getting

ready for the surprise party.

But here's the surprise, we don't know who the party is for.

All right?

So we're getting ready to throw a party for somebody.

But I guarantee you that person reflects the face of Christ.

I guarantee you.

So, even though I stand here and tell you that we don't know who it is, we

know who it is, we know who it is.

We know we are welcoming Jesus into this place.

So every week, get ready for the party.

Every week, get your heart ready.

Every week, welcome the stranger, and we'll pass that test with flying colors.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Matt Nelson: Thanks

for listening to the Sermon podcast from First United Methodist

Church in downtown Bentonville.

If you would like to let us know you were here, follow the link below to connect.

To participate in worship through giving, you can give online at FUMCbentonville.org

or on Venmo @FUMCBentonville.

FUMC Bentonville welcomes all.

Because we believe the communion table is God's table, we invite

everyone into our church family.

We welcome and celebrate every race, gender, gender identity, sexual

orientation, marital status, age, physical and mental ability, national origin,

economic station, and political ideology.

We come together in action and outreach, aspiring to follow Jesus' example of

radical hospitality, love, and grace as a transformative movement in our community.

Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, 10:10 AM, and 11:00

AM, live and on our YouTube channel.

Grace and peace.