After thanking my host for the wonderful lunch - I keyed-open the door - letting the door shut behind me - and walked down the stairs - into a room with the lingering aroma of the meal that happened earlier that morning. And there it was - against the far wall next to the soda machine: a banquet table full of food and gifts; so full in fact, that there wasn't even enough room for everything - some of the gifts that didn't fit on the table were placed on the floor next to the table. And it was all for me.

    It wasn't until I moved all of it to my vehicle (and then again to my apartment) that I realized just how much was there. Granted, I managed to move it all in 4 loads when it probably should have taken me 6 or 7, but when I was finished - I looked down at my hands. They were red and throbbing - and they had the creases of what I was carrying there in red. That's when it occurred to me: I was given so much - My hands hurt just from carrying it all. I was so blessed that my hands hurt.

    It was the moment that I came to Chattanooga that I learned what this 'phenomenon' was called: "Southern Hospitality." Sure, I had heard stories of it in the north where I come from - but to be honest I mostly thought it was something that ad men had come up to get people into Cracker Barrel. Turns out, there's a little more to it.

HOSPITALITY is a word that doesn't occur that often in scripture, 6 or 7 times - depending on the version. But this morning - we have the benefit of that Christ-like hospitality being described to us here in 12 verses.

ROM 12:9-16a (ESV)

Let Love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to shop hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not cures them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.

There's a lot going on here.

Love one another with brotherly affection - we'll come back to that.

Outdo one another in showing honor - Don't assume someone is being cared for. Step up!

Don't be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. - No excuses. Hospitality does not happen if you're lazy. Laziness is the enemy of hospitality.

Rejoice in Hope. Be Patient in Tribulation. Be Constant in Prayer. - Build A Relationship with people. You can't rejoice with those who rejoice or weep with those who are weeping if you haven't got a relationship. We're not called to be "street cornet preachers." Paul doesn't want us to blindside people. We're called to (even commanded to) care for people. Love people. Pray for them.

Contribute to the needs of the saints, and seek to show Hospitality. - Again, Get up, seek out people you can care for - whether they are members of your family, our community or this congregation.

The List goes on. What can we pull from all of this? Hospitality isn't easy. Hospitality is more than entertaining a Guest - it's the relationship between two parties: the Host and his Guest. Traditionally - there's even a broader definition of hospitality: it's the obligation felt by those who are able to give help to those who need it. WE are the hosts Paul is talking about in Romans 12. It is our relationship as a family of Christ - within itself and with those who are not yet part of that family. As a church, as God's people - we are called to  be Hospitable, to "Love one another with Brotherly Affection" - and "Honor others above ourselves."

While one can easily apply the wisdom of this reading to his or her own life - remember - Paul addresses this letter the the Church at Rome. The whole church. It's no accident that Paul says "Love one another with Brotherly Affection." - Brotherly affection is something that is possible once the Holy Spirit has helped us to realize that we are not alone -- we are part of a whole. As God's people, we take care of each other. Remember the parable in Luke 12 of the rich fool? He had been blessed with a good year - and rather than sharing his wealth, he elected to tear down his old barns and build bigger ones. He stockpiled his wealth only to realize that soon none of it mattered - and his life would be taken away from him. We're not meant to store-up things for ourselves on earth - but to be good stewards of the blessings we have been blessed with - no matter how large or small.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking - and I am to. I haven't been living in a cave for the past few years. Hospitality isn't only hard work, but it can be dangerous. Even though Crime over all has gone down here in the past years - there are dangers. It's hard to just invite people into our homes, and there are people who will try to take advantage. Does this mean that we should keep out hospitality to ourselves? Certainly Not. There are more people - even just here in Chattanooga that need our help; that need our savior - than ever before. Chattanooga is a healthy city - growing more every day. In the coming weeks, as a church - we will be taking a close look at ourselves - learning how we can grow, learning how we can reach out, learning how Cross of Christ can be more hospitable - How we can heed these words of Paul.

But we don't listen to these words. Instead of serving God and his people with our hands we use them to hurt each other. We make mistakes and let people fall through the cracks. But we have a God who knows what hospitality is - a God who will stop at nothing to provide us with what we need - a God who has saved us from the punishment we deserve from our inhospitable, selfish ways. Jesus hands were nailed to a Tree and torn under the weight of our sin. Because of the blood spilled that day - the blood we will sing about in a few moments - we have eternal life won for us. He gave us so much His hands hurt.

A Man named Arnold Glassow (From Wisconsin) once said "Some people make you feel at home - some make you wish you were." As we are all gathered here this morning - in one service - let's choose to be the former. Let's not only demonstrate that Southern Hospitality to those who happen to wander off of Hixon Pike, but let's open our hearts as a church to those people in our Community who we rub elbows with every day or week. Let's swing our doors wide open and show Chattanooga what Christian hospitality is all about.

 Amen.