HOSPITALITY IS THE CHOICE NOT TO SIN
Abortion, like all other sin, is the exact same sin Eve committed in the Garden of Eden when she believed the lie that SHE could better choose what was right or wrong rather than obeying God. Abortion is perhaps the ultimate act of defiance against the divine hospitality that God intended when He created and sheltered his brand-new man and woman within. Eden was God’s garden of hospitality where these two people; made in God’s image, with His very breath and spirit breathed into their bodies; communed with Him. There they walked and talked with God in fellowship and complete safety, where all their needs were met; and God said it was very good. Yet the choice to do evil was there as well and the serpent was able to convince them that all the beauty, harmony and peace were still not enough because it was God making the choices and not them.
This image of aborting a tiny baby as the ultimate antithesis to God’s hospitality came to mind when I was reading in Ezekiel 13. Here some women in the Old Testament times were mentioned because God was going to pass judgement on them for their lying and misleading people to follow them and their lies. For some reason this immediately connected in my heart to the grotesque lie that is abortion. God’s judgement was going to be harsh on these women and he wanted to rescue His people from their power. Ezekiel 13:23 God is speaking and He says “They do things I would never do. They lie to good people and encourage them to do wrong, and they convince the wicked to keep sinning and ruin their lives.” (Contemporary English Version)
Before men start agreeing how horrible women are for sin, remember Adam followed right along in Eve’s destructive choice. And as far as I can tell, men continue to support and promote abortion and follow along behind women in the promotion of sinfulness today. So where is there hope for humanity?
Let our homes be where lost sheep find their Shepherd who loves them.
At a recent Women’s Conference the theme was a contrast between the hereditary sins such as abuse and brokenness we inherit from our families versus the legacy of healing we can leave those that come after us. Women and Men – we can work to reverse the choice of Eve and Adam and open our homes to be an earthly version of the Garden of Eden. A place of safety and sanctuary from the world’s sinful influences. A place where the hurting, lost and broken all around us can come find their identity again as made in the image of God. Let our homes be where lost sheep find their Shepherd who loves them. Where they find they are loved and cherished. Where they find forgiveness from sin through the cross of Christ. Let this be the legacy we are known for.
May I urge you to take a stand against these sins that say we as the creation can make better choices than God, our Creator and Master Designer! If the evil, corruption and destruction around the world overwhelms you, then just start at home with your neighbors. Hospitality in our home can make a difference in the world by offering healing one life at a time. May our homes and dining room table be a place of refuge where we once again eat and talk with God. A place where fellowship is practiced, and we learn together how to reflect God’s harmony of relationships back into the world. Lets make our homes a place of ultimate hospitality, regardless of what it costs our comfort level. Let us be the light of the world that the Body of Christ was intended to be.
The reason we think the job is too big is because we have not yet started living it out in our life, our home, our table, with our neighbor.
Our church just celebrated it’s 60th year and all of the satellite campuses met together to celebrate in a sports stadium. It was a wonderful event of fantastic communion together as believers. What if all those thousands of people went home and invited just one neighbor into their home and began a relationship where they could find Jesus? Would that impact our church? Would that impact our city? Our state? Our world?
The reason we think the job is too big is because we have not yet started living it out in our life, our home, our table, with our neighbor. Yet this is precisely what it means to be a follower of Christ. Will you accept the challenge?