Give It Away: A lifestyle of hospitality

Sermon By Pastor Corky Calhoun

I think it is interesting at how undervalued Hospitality is in the modern church. Quite frankly its something that I think we do really well here, not perfectly, but really pretty darn good. But here is where the church as a whole drops the ball, great hospitality is not a strategy but a lifestyle. We have amazing, and sacrificial Parkers, and Ushers, and Greeters, all who are the first expressers of love on our campus. But the truth is we are all charged with creating a hospitable environment, it is the warmth of all of us that should be attractional. The goal of any Christian should be the fulfillment of the Great Commission, to go and share Jesus. However, if we are not creating a lifestyle of hospitality then we might as well be the "bull-horn" guy standing on the corner shouting spiritual insults at people. Hospitality for the Christian is to happen with every encounter, its an "other" driven emphasis that prioritizes the person in front of us. For sure Jesus is capable of piercing the greatest darkness, but a Gospel that sticks often comes from getting close enough to some one for it to rub off...it's the way Jesus did it most often! This means two things, first we have to have a Gospel heart that is pressing to get love out to others, and second we have to be willing to get close to people in a non-creepy "Christianese" way...to actually share this great love. This is called "relational evangelism" and its what we practice here at Georgianna in everything we do. I believe Hospitality is what makes it possible for us to know who, when and where to give our IT away. In the Christian world, hospitality is not a duty as much as it is a passion...its a heart that says let me serve you! Join us Sunday as we pave the way for giving our IT away!