Hebrews 13:1-5
“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

In the heart of August, nature offers a remarkable display of God's hospitality: the ripening of wild huckleberries in the mountains. There are fifteen varieties of these berries in the Pacific Northwest, which I simply divided into two categories: blue and red. They are a bit tart compared to domestic blueberries but make the finest pies and desserts in the world. These wild huckleberries, part of the blueberry family, are considered a superfood, known to be 111 times better for you than blueberries.

Hebrews 13:1-5 encourages us to embrace hospitality, particularly verse two: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." This is a profound concept that warrants deeper exploration.

Hospitality is about being generous with your space, and let's face it, it often comes at a cost. We cherish our privacy, our routines, and our sense of security. It's natural to guard our personal spaces fiercely. Yet, faith challenges us to open our doors to others. Each of us has a space we call our own, whether it's a rented room, a shared house, or a place we own. Scripture invites us to be generous with these spaces, extending a welcome to those we might not know well. This is about so much more then inviting close friends for dinner; it's about embracing the unknown, much like the people in the Bible who entertained angels unknowingly.

Christian tradition places a strong emphasis on hospitality. It's seen as a divine responsibility, entrusted to us by God. Opening our homes, our sacred spaces, requires faith and reflects the boundless generosity of the Christian spirit.

The gospel itself is a message of hospitality: God, in His ultimate generosity, welcomes us into a relationship with Him. He offers us His family, His love, and an eternal future in His presence. If anyone had the right to guard His space, it was God. Yet, He invites us in, offering us a place in His divine presence through the sacrifice of His Son.

So, as you savor a wild huckleberry, remember and experience God's hospitality. Be a huckleberry to your neighbors, allowing them to experience God's hospitality through your unique acts of kindness and generosity.

See you this Sunday at 10:30AM.

Your friend for life,

Pastor Tim