...and he ran to greet them and bowed deeply.
Genesis 18:1-8 CEB
"The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he sat at the entrance of his tent in the day’s heat. He looked up and suddenly saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from his tent entrance to greet them and bowed deeply. He said, “Sirs, if you would be so kind, don’t just pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and refresh yourselves under the tree. Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after that, you may leave your servant and go on your way—since you have visited your servant.”
They responded, “Fine. Do just as you have said.”
So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs[a] of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them and stood under the tree near them as they ate."
Abraham is taking a break from his daily task, he is trying to rejuvenate his achy bones but something catches his eye and he looks up to see three men coming his way. Abraham doesn't close his eyes to slink back into his own thoughts. He doesn't merely tip his hat hoping they will keep walking, no, Abraham does something extraordinary he runs to them. In the heat of the day, he takes off running. He wants to reach them before they pass by. When Abraham reaches the men he stops and bows deeply which was a sign of passing shalom and respect upon them.
Abraham doesn't know these men. He has no idea how long they have been traveling or how much further they have in their journey but what he does know is that he wants to offer them a place to be refreshed and to gain strength for all that is before them. As swiftly as he had run to greet the strangers along the road he sprung into action calling his servants to prepare a calf and for Sarah to bake a new loaf of bread. There were honored guests in their midst and Abraham wanted to ensure that they were given the best of the best. It was as if a long-awaited family member or friend had arrived and he'd been waiting to give them a specific gift.
Abraham offers these strangers respite from their travels. He points them to a tree with limbs that are spread wide creating a shelter of shade and beckoning the travelers to sit and rest. The bread was kneaded and cooked, the meat was grilled to perfection and the picnic cloth spread wide on the ground and a feast was had. Abraham stood to the side giving his guest the space they needed to find restoration and healing. He was confident that the bread and water would nourish their bodies with the strength they needed to continue on the journey that was before them.
Abraham ran to welcome the strangers. He enveloped them so that they might find restoration and stood near them prepared to give the very best of all that he had, as they regained their strength.
Last week I found myself traveling along a road that I had not traveled before. On Thursday afternoon in the midst of a chaotic week and a long to-do list of her own, there was someone who came running to greet and embrace us. She embraced us as if she had been life-long friends. In her own exhaustion of the week, she saw that we were in need of refreshment and restoration. She immediately sprang into action, opening doors, showing us around, rearranging schedules offering the best of who she was, the best of who her people were. She did not want us to pass by without being fed. She graciously fed us emotionally and physically with the offering of Dalewood UMC. Without hesitation, she and the people of Dalewood UMC rallied together setting a feast for us to partake in. A feast that included flinging their doors wide open so that every single one of our ministries might continue on our regular schedule. Their leadership team gathered to ask us what we needed, how they could share in our journey and began giving us more than we could have possibly imagined.
It is has been difficult to have a posture of receiving. It feels a bit embarring to let others pour-over and in you the very gift of love so unfiltered that it leaves you breathless It has felt awkward to let another church, another pastor offer not just their physical space but a holiness that leaves you fully aware that the body of Jesus Christ is connected by a mysterious thread that holds you upright, offers you food when you do not realize you are hungry, brings you into the shelter of shade so that you might find restoration and healing.
Dalewood UMC has run to greet us. They know that we are weary from the heartache, chaos, and displacement that the tornado has brought into our lives. They have prepared the best of the best for us so that we might find wholeness, so that our strength may be restored. They are feeding us in order that the very ministries that God has called us to do as people of East End UMC can continue to both thrive and soar. They are standing off to the side ready to pour into us in ways that we cannot fully fathom. Let us sit under the shade of their love and feast at the table of grace and compassion as we prepare for the journey that lies ahead.
We are still East End UMC, we are still God's body of Christ. We have brothers and sisters who have run to greet us so that we might find rest and regain our strength.
"The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he sat at the entrance of his tent in the day’s heat. He looked up and suddenly saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from his tent entrance to greet them and bowed deeply. He said, “Sirs, if you would be so kind, don’t just pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and refresh yourselves under the tree. Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after that, you may leave your servant and go on your way—since you have visited your servant.”
They responded, “Fine. Do just as you have said.”
So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs[a] of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them and stood under the tree near them as they ate."
Abraham is taking a break from his daily task, he is trying to rejuvenate his achy bones but something catches his eye and he looks up to see three men coming his way. Abraham doesn't close his eyes to slink back into his own thoughts. He doesn't merely tip his hat hoping they will keep walking, no, Abraham does something extraordinary he runs to them. In the heat of the day, he takes off running. He wants to reach them before they pass by. When Abraham reaches the men he stops and bows deeply which was a sign of passing shalom and respect upon them.
Abraham doesn't know these men. He has no idea how long they have been traveling or how much further they have in their journey but what he does know is that he wants to offer them a place to be refreshed and to gain strength for all that is before them. As swiftly as he had run to greet the strangers along the road he sprung into action calling his servants to prepare a calf and for Sarah to bake a new loaf of bread. There were honored guests in their midst and Abraham wanted to ensure that they were given the best of the best. It was as if a long-awaited family member or friend had arrived and he'd been waiting to give them a specific gift.
Abraham offers these strangers respite from their travels. He points them to a tree with limbs that are spread wide creating a shelter of shade and beckoning the travelers to sit and rest. The bread was kneaded and cooked, the meat was grilled to perfection and the picnic cloth spread wide on the ground and a feast was had. Abraham stood to the side giving his guest the space they needed to find restoration and healing. He was confident that the bread and water would nourish their bodies with the strength they needed to continue on the journey that was before them.
Abraham ran to welcome the strangers. He enveloped them so that they might find restoration and stood near them prepared to give the very best of all that he had, as they regained their strength.
Last week I found myself traveling along a road that I had not traveled before. On Thursday afternoon in the midst of a chaotic week and a long to-do list of her own, there was someone who came running to greet and embrace us. She embraced us as if she had been life-long friends. In her own exhaustion of the week, she saw that we were in need of refreshment and restoration. She immediately sprang into action, opening doors, showing us around, rearranging schedules offering the best of who she was, the best of who her people were. She did not want us to pass by without being fed. She graciously fed us emotionally and physically with the offering of Dalewood UMC. Without hesitation, she and the people of Dalewood UMC rallied together setting a feast for us to partake in. A feast that included flinging their doors wide open so that every single one of our ministries might continue on our regular schedule. Their leadership team gathered to ask us what we needed, how they could share in our journey and began giving us more than we could have possibly imagined.
It is has been difficult to have a posture of receiving. It feels a bit embarring to let others pour-over and in you the very gift of love so unfiltered that it leaves you breathless It has felt awkward to let another church, another pastor offer not just their physical space but a holiness that leaves you fully aware that the body of Jesus Christ is connected by a mysterious thread that holds you upright, offers you food when you do not realize you are hungry, brings you into the shelter of shade so that you might find restoration and healing.
Dalewood UMC has run to greet us. They know that we are weary from the heartache, chaos, and displacement that the tornado has brought into our lives. They have prepared the best of the best for us so that we might find wholeness, so that our strength may be restored. They are feeding us in order that the very ministries that God has called us to do as people of East End UMC can continue to both thrive and soar. They are standing off to the side ready to pour into us in ways that we cannot fully fathom. Let us sit under the shade of their love and feast at the table of grace and compassion as we prepare for the journey that lies ahead.
We are still East End UMC, we are still God's body of Christ. We have brothers and sisters who have run to greet us so that we might find rest and regain our strength.
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