July 20 Sunday Sermon Manuscript

20250720_Genesis 18:1–10

The Courage of Hospitality: Faith

1.     Genesis is full of many stories. In addition to the story of God creating the heavens and the earth, this means that Genesis is filled with stories that we can experience in life and even bundles of stories beyond our imagination.

2.     Today, we can confirm another meaning that shows a new perspective on Abraham and why he is called the father of faith.

3.     The passage we read today begins with the words that the Lord appeared to Abraham under the oaks of Mamre. The oak tree is introduced in the Bible as a place where very sacred rituals are performed or where special gatherings take place.

4.     It says that the Lord appeared to Abraham in this space, but instead of appearing in a way we might imagine—like thunder or a mysterious form—this passage records that God appeared as three travelers.

5.     The story in Genesis describing the Lord as three travelers sparks much imagination in us. Some interpret this as referring to the Trinity, while others hear it as saying that our attitude toward unfamiliar travelers we meet may reflect our attitude toward God.

6.     What’s notable about the Lord being described as three travelers is that God is expressed as a being with a physical body just like ours.

7.     To reiterate, the worst attitude in a life of faith is when preconceptions dominate faith, and being absorbed in a one-sided interpretation that consumes everything blinds us to the wide and generous space for interpretation that God has prepared.

8.     We tend to describe someone deeply absorbed in one view as having great faith, but the phrase “great faith” is often used when something neatly fits into the framework we created—it doesn’t mean we truly understand what great faith really is.

9.     Some people mistakenly think that interpreting the contents of the Bible perfectly and precisely is the ultimate goal. It’s this mindset that cults like Shincheonji and Unification Church exploit when spreading their doctrines. If you mistakenly let Jehovah’s Witnesses into your home, they will present a unique interpretation of the Bible to captivate people.

10.  Let me clearly tell you this: the Word of God is not something you understand once and then stay fixed for life. Sometimes, what we couldn’t understand before suddenly becomes clear through grace or a special moment.

11.  That the Word is living and active means that understanding based on someone else’s interpretation—whether it’s a spiritual master or not—is not applied to my life or the next generation in the same way. It can be different for my life, and completely different for the next generation.

12.  What I am sharing with you today is the same. It is not eternal and can be interpreted differently depending on the region or the life situation.

13.  Please do not misunderstand. The original direction pointed to by the text does not change. The direction of the message that God conveys to humanity does not change. The misunderstanding happens when people apply their interpretation to life, and ironically, that interpretation ends up hiding the direction God was trying to show.

14.  The passage we read today, in that sense, is quite radical. In verse 2, it says Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. He ran to greet them and bowed to the ground.

15.  It already feels unusual that the Lord appeared as three people, but what’s even more interesting is that Abraham, whom we know well, saw them and somehow recognized they were the Lord and bowed down to greet them.

16.  This shows that Abraham had no fixed image of God. Contrary to his expectation that God would appear more gloriously or mysteriously, God came before Abraham as an ordinary traveler—as three human figures.

17.  In verses 3 to 5, Abraham says this: “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lords, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

18.  This passage contains an ancient Near Eastern manual for receiving guests: washing their feet, resting under the tree, and sharing food.

19.  Here, we can see that Abraham was familiar with receiving strangers. We often tie Abraham down with the title “father of faith,” but today’s passage shows that he was someone familiar with hosting strangers, and that familiarity enabled him to not miss the disguised Lord in the form of three men and invite them into his home.

20.  Personally, these sentences allow us to sense Abraham’s attentiveness and the life he had lived.

21.  In the ancient Near East, that is, in the patriarchal era when Abraham lived, as well as in our time today, there remains an important question: “To what extent can we show hospitality to strangers?”

22.  This question never disappears. Perhaps we live in a time when it is almost impossible to show hospitality to travelers.

23.  But did humanity always fear strangers? Not necessarily. During times when civilizations flourished and peace abounded, hospitality and care for travelers were extended like a neighborly act.

24.  The “sarangbang” (guest room) in traditional Korean houses was prepared to host strangers and guests. Even in the law Moses received, treating travelers well was established as a rule.

25.  As I mentioned once before, if you are traveling in Germany and find a Methodist church, you can knock and say just one sentence—“I’m a Methodist”—and you may be offered a place to sleep and food for the night.

26.  This is a heartwarming story, but it also comes with the realistic thought that such acts of hospitality can be burdensome.

27.  It’s uncomfortable to stay even with someone you know well, so we know that it takes quite a bit of courage and sacrifice to show hospitality to a complete stranger.

28.  Nevertheless, today’s passage invites us to imagine that God might sometimes pass through our lives in the form of a traveler.

29.  Abraham asks his wife Sarah to make bread and tells his servant to prepare a tender, good calf.

30.  We could whimsically imagine: if Abraham had to do all this himself, would he have been so eager to invite the travelers and prepare a meal?

31.  Abraham’s kind gestures are all in the front, but the actual labor is done by his wife and servant. So, if this structure works, maybe one could host banquets for days without issue?

32.  But here, we realize that Sarah and the servant, who quickly respond to Abraham’s request and prepare the food, are not merely responding to orders but are familiar partners in this kind of situation.

33.  In verse 6, when Abraham asks Sarah to make bread, the mention of his urgency shows that Sarah didn’t make the bread alone. Just as Abraham was used to hosting strangers, Sarah and the servant appear in the passage as partners in character with him.

34.  As a result of Abraham’s efforts, these three guests create a special narrative: “Sarah will have a son by this time next year.”

35.  This can be read both as a blessing and the fulfillment of a promise.

36.  Through today’s passage, we discover a few important truths.

37.  First, it shows that God comes close to us not as an abstract concept or overwhelming power, but in a form we can perceive, approach, and respond to. As we go through the season of Pentecost, it clearly expresses the symbolism of the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Spirit doesn’t mean our lives are thrown into fear, but rather that God personally comes to dwell within ordinary people, fills them internally, and empowers them—just as God appeared to Abraham in human form, now God dwells with us through the Spirit, meeting us not in perfection but in our daily lives.

38.  In other words, God is not specially experienced but constantly encountered in everyday life. Talking with someone nearby, sharing hospitality—that kind of life leads us to walk closely with God.

39.  Second, we must pay attention to Abraham’s response. Without knowing exactly who his visitors were, he ran to greet them, bowed before them, and invited them into his home. He offered water, food, and rest. His whole body, family, and house participated in the act of hospitality. This decision to act hospitably occurred before any divine identity of “the Lord” was revealed—without hesitation or prior knowledge.

40.  This wasn’t hospitality from certainty or obligation, but a radical act of openness, exposure, and mutual vulnerability. Abraham risked comfort, safety, and social boundaries to welcome the unknown other. It may have been the most vulnerable and foolish act that could threaten his stable life, but it was in that gap that he experienced the holy space where he met the Lord. From Abraham’s action, we realize that faith is not about possessing certain facts, but the courage to step into transcendent spaces beyond our own experience.

41.  Once again, we must remember: we might think a perfect banquet is to invite familiar guests to a fully prepared table. But even a weak, unprepared space, if we courageously invite the Lord with faith, that fragile space will be filled with God’s grace.

42.  Therefore, we must remember that when we have the courage to invite and host strangers, travelers, or those who feel awkward or uncomfortable in our limited space, that becomes the place where the courage of faith is revealed and God’s grace is completed.

43.  Today, I would like to share a way for Yeolin Church to step into a larger space of hospitality.

44.  In our class meetings (small groups), we gather and support three missionaries with $100 each every month from our offerings. It’s not a large amount, but we do it with the heart of expecting God to do great things through our small effort. As a first step in missions, I believe it’s not too burdensome.

45.  In this situation, I received a message from a friend doing missions in Nepal. After 20 years of no contact, he suddenly reached out, asking us to support their mission organization—and even asked me to take a vice president role to help. Many thoughts crossed my mind. Why now, after no contact? Am I an easy target? Did a rumor mistakenly spread that I’m pastoring a big church? All kinds of thoughts arose, but then he explained why he was asking.

46.  He said that in Korea, near Gwanghwamun, there’s a church called Jonggyo Church. A young woman named Jinah Park, who had been part of that church, once went on a short-term mission trip to Nepal. Tragically, she suddenly died there from acute sepsis.

47.  Her hometown was Gangneung, but she had been living in Seoul preparing for the teacher’s certification exam and was faithfully attending church. Since she lost her life so suddenly during a mission trip, it was a big shock for the church.

48.  The senior pastor immediately flew to Nepal to retrieve her remains. Church members, grieved by the sudden loss, started a fundraising campaign—and they ended up raising about 2 billion won (around $1.5 million USD), which is a significant amount.

49.  When they gave the donation to the bereaved family, the young woman’s father said, “My daughter’s wish was for me to attend church. I will now attend church diligently, and I would like this donation to be used to help the children in Nepal that she served with all her heart.” He entrusted the donation to the church to use for Nepal missions.

50.  The church honored that wish and, through the friend missionary, established a school in Nepal named after this young woman—“Jinah School.” Construction is nearly complete, and they are about to open the school. With just a little more fundraising, the construction will be finished. But then the senior pastor at Jonggyo Church changed, and the mission support was abruptly cut off.

51.  The story is both heartbreaking and deeply moving.

52.  I wasn’t like Abraham, who ran right away upon seeing travelers. I hesitated for a while after hearing the story. I thought, “He must be really desperate to reach out to me like this.”

53.  Around that time, I received a call from members of our church’s Man-Nam (Encounter) choir. They said they wanted to do a concert on the last Saturday of September—and that it would be for mission fundraising. It wasn’t fast, but I decided to respond to the missionary’s request.

54.  It’s sudden, but still, having the courage to show hospitality—that’s what I called faith today.

55.  The reason Abraham is called the father of faith isn’t because he showed extraordinary faith, but because he believed that God would work graciously even in vulnerable and fragile spaces.

56.  With a bit more faithful imagination, I hope Yeolin Church becomes known as a community that, despite its weakness and vulnerability, strives to fill those gaps with God’s grace through the courage of faith.

57.  I hope that you and I will become those who pray for and bear fruit in this effort.