God as guest

Abraham and the three angels
Rembrandt, 1646
See Genesis 18

One of the significant characteristics of early Christianity was that it was a religion that sought converts. It was a religion on the move.  Christianity, in the hands of Paul, was a religion for all peoples and Paul saw his ministry as being an Apostle to the Gentiles.

If we take a look at the passage, below, from the Acts of the Apostles, we see this movement and spread of Christianity in action. Paul and others are on the move and arrive in Malta. What can we learn about Christianity from their experiences?

1.      Christians wish to share their faith with others who know nothing about it

2.      That inner ethic of Christianity leads Christians into unknown places

3.      That drive to communicate means that Christians are often strangers and guests

4.      As a stranger or guest, the Christian is vulnerable, reliant on the kindness of others

5.      If the Christian message is shown to be empty/without power they may be rejected

6.      Paul’s power came from his seeming ability to avoid death by a snake-bite (!) and by his ability to heal – Christians must be authentic (?) and offer real healing (?)

Christians today might well remember that inner ethic of Christianity – that it’s a religion on the move: movement, journeying, travelling, can be interpreted metaphorically; as Christians we are called to be dynamic actors in life. Our faith pushes us into unknown places and into contexts that may frighten us. Of course, pilgrimage was and still is a spiritual practice within Christianity. The pilgrim sets out to go somewhere, but the journeying is where the transformation is most likely to occur. Being a pilgrim forces us to rely on God alone, something that we can avoid in the routine (and safety) of our normal lives. Being a pilgrim also means that we may also be a stranger in the land we are travelling through. As a stranger or alien a whole new dynamic of struggle and vulnerability is experienced. What does home look like for the pilgrim?

It might be considered that spiritually, for all of us, home looks like heaven. It’s quite standard to imagine God as the host in heaven. But, what if God were a guest in heaven? What if the impetus for journeying and pilgrimage is rooted in God’s own being, which is one of movement and receiving hospitality? One of the Biblical ways into this is to remember the words about entertaining angels unawares, Hebrews 13:2 King James Version (KJV):

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

How we respond to strangers seems to be a sort of test. Maybe that’s because the divine spirit identifies most closely with strangers and guests.

The words from Acts to me seem profoundly significant to this topic: ‘The natives showed us unusual kindness.’ Perhaps that is why Paul was able to do so many deeds of power there. If we greet the stranger who has something of value to share with us, with kindness, God will dwell with us too. But, if we reject them, beat and demonise them, or simply just ignore them – maybe in some way we are also rejecting the divine spirit which longs to reside with us as favoured guest.

As an aside, traditions of hospitality abound in India where Hinduism has a tradition of seeing God as guest. I know very little about this, but a short google search has brought up the following: https://vedanta.org/2012/monthly-readings/god-as-guest-hospitality-in-hindu-culture/

It may be that this theme of God as guest is a shared one among many religions. It would be interesting to explore further!

Acts 28:1-16
Paul on the Island of Malta

After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us round it. Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

Now in the neighbourhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They bestowed many honours on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.