From the squalor of a borrowed stable
By the Spirit and a virgin's faith
To the anguish and the shame of scandal
Came the Savior of the human race
But the skies were filled
With the praise of heav'n
Shepherds listen as the angels tell
Of the gift of God come down to man
At the dawning of Immanuel

King of heaven now the friend of sinners
Humble servant in the Father's hands
Filled with power and the Holy Spirit
Filled with mercy for the broken man
Yes He walked my road and He felt my pain
Joys and sorrows that I know so well
Yet His righteous steps give me hope again
I will follow my Immanuel

Through the kisses of a friend's betrayal
He was lifted on a cruel cross
He was punished for a world's transgressions
He was suffering to save the lost
He fights for breath He fights for me
Loosing sinners from the claims of hell
And with a shout our souls are free
Death defeated by Immanuel

Now He's standing in the place of honor
Crowned with glory on the highest throne
Interceding for His own beloved
'Til His Father calls to bring them home
Then the skies will part as the trumpet sounds
Hope of heaven or the fear of hell
But the bride will run to her lover's arms
Giving glory to Immanuel

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Come Oh Redeemer Come

Father enthroned on high, Holy, holy

Ancient, eternal Light, Hear our prayer.

(Chorus)

Come, oh Redeemer, come, Grant us mercy.

Come, oh redeemer, come, Grant us peace.

Lord, save us from the dark Of our striving,

Faithless and troubled hearts Weighed down.

(Chorus)

Look now upon our need; Lord be with us.

Heal us and make us free from our sin.

(Chorus)

Words and music by Fernando Ortega, 1996 Metro Music

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"Arise The Kingdom Is At Hand" 1. Arise, the kingdom is at hand, The King is drawing nigh; Arise with joy, thou faithful band, To meet the Lord most high! Look up, ye souls, weighed down with care, The Sovereign is not far; Look up, faint hearts, from your despair, Behold the Morning Star! 2.  Look up, ye drooping hearts, today, The King is very near; O cast your griefs and fears away, For, lo, your help is here! Hope on, ye broken hearts, at last, The King comes in His might; He loved us in the ages past, When we lay wrapped in night. 3.  Look up, ye souls weighed down with care, The Sovereign is not far!  Look up, faint hearts, from your despair, Behold the Morning Star!  The Lord is with us now, Who shall The sinking spirit feed  With strength and comfort at its need, To Whom e’en death shall bow. 4.  Hope, O ye broken hearts, at last! The King comes on in might, He loved us in the ages past When we lay wrapped in night; Now are our sorrows o’er, and fear, And wrath to joy give place, Since God hath made us in His grace His children evermore.

Please click here to play:  Joy has Dawned.

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Today, I would like to further tease out some of the implications of Gospel Hospitality for our Missional Communities. (If you missed Sunday, check out the sermon here). This parable in Luke 14 (The One About the Great Banquet is one of the foundational Biblical texts for why we as a church believe in "open groups." You may have come from a church background where small groups existed as closed circles of people where you developed deep relationships and had deep and serious conversations about spiritual things. To you, the idea of open groups may undermine the depth of community and discipleship that you long for in your group.

We believe that this story, as well as the general contours of the Gospel story compel us to practice open hospitality in all of our missional communities. In fact, this openness is one of the defining qualities that differentiates our missional communities from your typical "small group." Each of our groups exists not just for its members, but for those who are outside the group. In the Gospel we see the eternal community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit making room for us in their communal life. To do so, required Jesus to sacrifice immensely to open this relational life to us on the cross. I believe that this pattern of life is passed down to us, that we would sacrificially make room for others in our community. This admittedly makes our community life messier than it might otherwise have been: it creates awkward moments with strangers, it may require us to divide our growing groups as these strangers become part of the family, and it requires us to step out of our comfort zones of relational safety to embrace the risk of hospitality.

Towards the end of the sermon I shared three arenas in which we can think about making room for the stranger: around our table, in our schedule, and in our church. Here are some ways that our Missional Communities may flesh these out, and I would encourage you to consider more within your community: 

Around your table- Think about how your missional community might feast together, and invite your neighbors to join you. It may be sharing a dinner every time you meet, it may mean scrapping your normal flow periodically in order to throw a great party. When we feast together we celebrate the goodness of God and his provision for us in creation. When we invite our neighbors to join us we affirm our love for them and invite them into an open, joyful, loving community. 

In your Schedule- Edith Schaeffer has written, "The most precious thing a human being has to give is time." To give our entire attention to another for a period of time communicates our respect and love for that person, rather than viewing them simply as an imposition in our schedule. Make room in your schedule to pursue your friends and neighbors-- those who are not yet a part of your missional community, as well as those who visit your community. In our hurried world, the offer of your time is a gift that communicates your love. 

In your Church- When you meet new people at church, extend to them an invitation to your group. One of my great joys is when I follow-up with a guest and ask if they'd like to get involved in a missional community and they reply, "Oh, Sally already invited me and I went last week to her group!" This is the best way for our groups to practice hospitality on Sunday mornings. Consider as a group how you might do this effectively on Sunday mornings. 

May God Bless you abundantly as you walk down the messy path of hospitality. It is the difficult and joyful path along which Jesus invites us to follow him. 

In God's Welcoming Grace, 
Dave