The Big Idea

So this is the inaugural post for Otterbein Church. Best place to start is with what we're pursuing beginning today: The Big Idea:

LIVING THE ADVENTURE!

"Come, Follow Me..." -Jesus

Focusing on the five purposes around which our church is structured, we'll be studying the life of Jesus and applying the Gospel to our lives. We begin with Fellowship and our core value that "Every person in the Brokenstraw Valley matters to God."

Monday: Radical Hospitality

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-6

Journal Questions:

• Abraham opened up his life to three complete strangers: What does radical hospitality look like?
• Abraham (and Sarah) spent hours preparing for their guests: What sacrifices are you willing to make to welcome others?

Observations (from Pastor Bill):

I'm not sure Abraham had a clue at all that it was God by the oaks of Mamre. I think that radical hospitality was just so core to who Abraham was at this point in his life that he opened his home up to them. Even if he had an inkling that these three were something special, Abraham really went far beyond what almost anyone I know would go - not just opening the home and welcoming and offering some refreshment - it's a meal - and not a simple one at that. And he stands while they eat (like some kind of hovering butler, or something...heh). So, they eat first? Does he eat? Does Sarah?

Personal Applications (from Pastor Bill):

Confession: I don't want to do this. Welcoming the stranger is...hard...it's dangerous...doesn't God realize that there are crazy, dangerous people out there? Sigh... I can offer every excuse in the book for not welcoming people into my home - and I have - but I've done the same thing in the church... The guy at Kersey who came four weeks but never came back, the street corner preacher who creeped me out... I had one good success - Bill, who came to Breakthrough and I heard that he's still coming (and, like all good things, I can only take a little credit in that - I did talk to him and shake his hand and welcome him ever time he came - but so did about ten other people - in fact, those ten inspired ME to do it).

And, in the end, there's NO excuse for us as a church to not welcome the stranger in worship and into community. Pastor Steve said yesterday in church that the model for conversion in this post-postmodern age is Belonging (to a group, tribe, community), Receiving (the Gospel, the expectations for belonging), Believing (living a life according to the group core values - for us, the Gospel).

So we welcome - and we keep speaking the truth - the Truth (and the whole Truth) in love and we pray and we disciple.