The Call to Hospitality and Service:
In Matthew 19 we read the story of Jesus reaching out to children telling them to come and be close to him. Throughout his ministry Jesus was attracted to those that were considered on the fringe of mattering in society. In a world of strict social expectations, Jesus reached for the poor, sick, helpless, and rejected. In fact, of those that found themselves in the presence of Christ, none left feeling that they were unimportant.
When we talk about hospitality within the church, this is the level to which we aspire. We want to love people where they are because Jesus loves them where they are. We want people to feel important and valued because Jesus sees them as important and valuable. In the very near future we will be talking about hospitality at Lakewood. We will be endeavoring to set up teams that handle different elements of our Sunday morning service, but the heart behind our hospitality teams cannot be missed by the church at large. While there are some that will be asked and called to serve in specific areas of our hospitality teams, the entire church is called to extend the hand of hospitality to all who enter our doors.
Lakewood is a church that loves people without reservation, serves with no thought of return and learns daily what it mean to follow Jesus into the places that he has called us. We are all a part of the hospitality team at Lakewood because we all agree that everyone is loved by Jesus and worthy of our attention and service. So, as we talk about hospitality in the coming weeks and months, keep in mind that to be a part of the church is to serve in the hospitality of the church. We are all called to this, but also please prayerfully consider being one of the faces that greets and loves and leads those that come through our doors looking for Jesus.
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Joh 13:35
‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matt. 25:40b