Ministry

Welcome:  A Story from the Bible 

Gen 18:1-9:

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 

2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 

3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 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.” 

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 

7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 

8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 

9 “Where is your wife, Sarah?” they asked him. 

“There, in the tent,” he said. 

The above is a story of welcome and love all wrapped in one act of hospitality. 

A few days ago, strangers might have turned up at your door, holding baskets or buckets and dressed in scary outfits. 

I am talking about Halloween. 

How did you feel? 

Scared maybe? 

Or excited.  

Maybe you were expecting them anyway, as you knew it was the day of Halloween, but how would you feel if a person totally unknown to you rocked up to your door at 8 o’clock at night, unkempt and smelly and asked for a place for the night? 

Among the Nandi’s of Kenya, a country in Africa, whose main food is cow's milk, one of the gourds (this community stores their milk in containers made from gourds) is reserved for passersby/strangers. It is a tradition to offer milk to any stranger or passerby who stops to ask for a glass of water. This milk is from this gourd. It is a good thing to offer food to a stranger as you never know, they might be on the brink of dying from hunger. 

Sounds like the Bible story from Genesis. 

From the story of Abraham we learn some very important lessons about welcome and love. Welcome is not just about writing a banner on the door post of your house or at the gate to your house announcing that all are welcome. 

It is more than that. There will be gestures and actions that will be demonstrated for one who is a stranger to feel welcome and loved. And that is exactly what Abraham did. He went out of his way to invite the strangers to his house. And offered them food. 

The Nandi's of Kenya has the gourd of milk ready. As the term progresses and as we continue to reflect on our own stories of community, welcome and love, what story in your life relates to this story of the Bible? 

Have you ever had a chance to welcome a stranger to your home, school, or some other place? 

What did you do? 

How did you make the stranger feel welcomed and loved in that place? 

Food is among one of many gestures that communities use to extend welcome to others.  

Later if you progress on the story of Abraham will know that the three strangers were angels of God! God was so pleased with Abraham that he gave them a son even in their old age. 

Even though we know, God goodness to us is not because we have done anything to deserve it (unmerited grace), nevertheless it pays to be good to others, to be hospitable, kind and human. 

That is the lesson we learn from the story of Abraham in the Bible. 

Be blessed! 

Simion Mutai

College Chaplain