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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

When Hospitality Comes Back

So I'm gonna try and just very quickly take us through a story if you will That's found in 2nd Kings.

And so if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn to 2nd Kings chapter 4 And we'll be getting in verse 8, 2 Kings chapter 4, verse 8, and the heading here is Elisha raises the Shunammite's son.

And you may recognize some of these pictures from the storybook.

Now it happened 1 day that Elisha went to Shunam, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food.

Now those are the kinds of women that I like.

No, I insist, you have to try some of this.

And so this notable woman, she persuaded Elisha to eat some food.

So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.

Another district I was in, I had to pass over the Appalachian Mountains and go to the other side, and I would try and visit and have prayer meeting on Wednesday nights over there.

But it was a 45 minute drive, trek to get over there.

And there were times that I just quick ran out the door, I didn't think about supper, but there was 1 member I could call and I could say, Anne, I'm on this side of the mountain and I'm hungry.

She'd say, when are you going to be here?

Sometimes I'd give her a heads up, but not so much.

And so it says, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.

Verse 9, and she said to her husband, look now, I know that this is a holy man of God.

This is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly.

Please let us make a small upper room on the wall and let us put a bed for him there and a table and a chair and a lamp stand so it will be whenever he comes to us he can turn in there." And so you imagine them there standing, looking at the house, why don't we just add this thing on?

And like a typical male, he probably is standing there saying, honey, do you realize what that will require and this and that?

Or he could respond the other way, I get to go to Lowe's.

But whatever the case may be, they decided, okay, this is a good idea, and they got the bricks, they got the mortar, I don't know if it looked exactly like that, but you get the idea.

They started putting this extra room together with the purpose that when Elisha would come to stay, he'd have a nice, cozy room.

A bed, a table to study, a lamp, a few things to make it nice.

And so when he would pass by that way, he would stop in, not just for food now, but for some refreshment, some rest.

This perhaps was at a good location for him on his way, and so I imagine he came often.

The blessings of hospitality, making a space comfortable for Elisha, the prophet of God.

Granted, this was at her and her husband's expense, but take a look also that hospitality is very practical in nature.

Really, hospitality is looking after the needs of others.

It's about providing a space and an opportunity, perhaps for ministry even.

I remember at, I believe it was David Bower's funeral.

I remember it being kind of a cooler day.

I don't remember, was it November or sometime?

And there's not much worse than a drizzly, cold, wet day.

And I remember many came from Fletcher Park Inn, but the bus could not come under what we had before, and so they had to pull all the way around the backside of the building and park on the slope with the pavement all wet, and I saw ladies and men getting out with their walkers and shuffling, couldn't really hold a walker and an umbrella at the same time to make their way under cover.

And then to sign the guest book, they were standing in line outside before they could get their turn to come through the door and sign the guest book.

They should be able to come and pull into the front door.

They shouldn't have to wait out in the rain.

And then following the service, I remember somebody, a member of the family, that wanted to go downstairs and be part of this special light meal that we provide for the family often and so on.

Didn't do a whole lot of good to say, but we have plans for 1.

Well, you'll have to go in a car and someone will have to drive you back around and you have to get out in the rain again and go back.

And I thought, this again is not being very hospitable.

Friends, because of hospitality, of thinking of others' needs, of anticipating what they might like or what will make their stay more comfortable, you know some people have the gift of hospitality.

Seems like anything you could possibly think of is laid out and there ready for you.

They gave me refreshment when I needed it.

They invited me a nice, warm place that was comfortable.

And oftentimes you'll say, I want to go back there.

I mean you can look at hotel industry, restaurants, all the rest.

If they're poor on hospitality, are you going to come back?

And the real opposite of hospitality is quite, well, the opposite.

Get off of my property, you're not welcome here.

Who asked you to solicit on this front porch?

Dogs are barking the whole 9 yards, and maybe that person lives in proximity.

Even as you drive past their house, for years later, what will you think of?

It was great, but as nice as that is, I think our current fellowship hall is far more hospitable.

And we have used that thing, and used that thing, and used that thing since completing it.

And you know, oftentimes we think it's the truth that wins people over to the church, and don't get me wrong, we have an amazing message that is more relevant with every passing day.

But more than anything else, I hear about our church is I hear things like, it's so friendly, I just wanna come back.

It's the people that won me over you guys are so kind and gracious to us You fed us at the events experience you fed us at the Daniel fest this place is great the folks.

That's all Hospitality isn't it and if they enjoy our time with us if we make that lasting impression it then gives us permission to share our message.

My desire in this edition, in this updated bathrooms and fellowship hall, will not be that any of these things will serve as a memorial to ourselves, but rather allow us to be more hospitable to our guests and our friends, our neighbors, and our community.

That the elevator will allow people to attend a fellowship meal after church without battling the elements.

That the foyer may cause people to stay and chat just a little bit longer because there's a place to be.

Our living room, if you will, has been expanded.

It was so nice, I saw a group of maybe 8 or 10 people standing right there in the middle, and I commented to our head deacon, I think it was David, I said, David, this would have been a roadblock before.

Now they're not in the way and people can go on either side.

I don't like talking in a space where I constantly feel like I'm in the way.

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When Hospitality Comes Back

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