Our scripture reading this evening is from the book of Genesis chapter 18 and 19. Genesis chapter 18. The plan to read all of 18 into 19, but I'm going to cut that a little bit short and read the first 16 verses of chapter 18, and then the first few of chapter 19. So first of all, Genesis chapter 18, beginning at verse one, the Lord appeared unto him, that is Abraham, in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground and said, my Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on, for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, so do as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto the young man, and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, behold in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life. And lo, Sarah, thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age. And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I am wax old, Shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laugh not, for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh. And the men rose up from thence and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. So we read that far in chapter 18. And now chapter 19. Chapter 19, and there came two angels to Sodom at Even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground, and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servants' house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways. And they said, nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. So far we read God's holy word. The text for the sermon makes reference to that. The text is Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2. There we read, be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels Let me just say a few things about the translation. The first word, entertain, is translated elsewhere always hospitality. but it includes the idea of strangers. It's the idea of be not forgetful to show hospitality or love to strangers. And then the second word entertained is translated elsewhere always with the word lodge. Someone lodged in someone's home. So that's the sense of the verse. Very definitely, it has to do with hospitality towards strangers and taking them into your home, even lodging them, as the case may be. That's the sense of the text, and that's how we will explain it tonight. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 13 contains practical admonitions that are based on the theme of the epistle, Jesus Christ, a better mediator of a better covenant, a better covenant. The first exhortation of the chapter looks somewhat inward. Let brotherly love continue. We saw that the word there is Philadelphia, where the first part of that compound word, Phila, is love and Delphia is brethren. So love of the brethren is the sense of the word. That follows from the fact that we are blessed by the great salvation that Christ has earned. that as the mediator of the covenant, he has given us access to God and the right to live with him. And the lives and the attitudes of those who are brought into God's covenant, therefore should reflect his love to them. Accordingly, God says, let brotherly love continue. This is what should characterize the church of Jesus Christ on this earth. Let it continue. It is a love that emphasizes kindness toward someone. It is a love that is spontaneous so that the sight of a fellow believer should evoke this kind of response, love, care, concern, and kindness for the fellow believer. That love must continue, says Hebrews 13, 1. And that is fitting for this congregation as well. We have here that kind of love, and yet the admonition comes to us, and it's necessary because we can always grow in that. We can always improve in the way that we interact with each other and demonstrate the love of Philadelphia the love of the brethren. The text we consider tonight now turns a bit more outward. It has to do with hospitality, as we pointed out in the language of the text. The word hospitality has the idea of loving the stranger. That's literally what it is. It's a compound word which has the first part of Philadelphia, that word for love, connected with stranger. Love of the stranger is literally the word that is ordinarily translated in the Bible, hospitality. That then explains much of what the sense is of the text, a love for the stranger. that makes it obvious that the hospitality of the text is not, first of all, the kind of hospitality that we show when we have family over, or if we have a get-together and many friends come over to our house, it may be that one is very hospitable when he has family and friends over, and that if the motive is correct, is a commendable thing, to be hospitable, and that that may even be the foundation for what the text is talking about, but the text isn't talking about friends and family coming over, as we'll see tonight, but it is how we treat strangers. So with that in mind, Let's consider the text under the theme, Exhorted to Show Hospitality. Notice in the first place, the exhortation, secondly, the reason, and third, the blessing. Hospitality is, as we said, and as the text indicates, a love for strangers. So who is the stranger? The Old Testament Israel, of course, anyone who was not an Israelite was a stranger, someone who was not a part of the nation, someone who would not have a place in the covenant of God. And God's word is very clear about what Israel's attitude should be toward strangers. In Leviticus chapter 19, God says this about strangers, verses 33 and 34. If a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him, but the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself. For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Not only that, but in Deuteronomy chapter 10, God speaks of what he does for the stranger. Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 18 says, he, God, the previous verse it says he doesn't regard persons, but then he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow and loveth the stranger and giving him food and raiment. And so on the basis of that, he says to Israel, love ye the stranger for ye were strangers in Egypt. Now that's significant. God connects how they ought to act toward the stranger in their midst with the fact that they had been strangers in Egypt. And of course, we all know that history, how Israel went down into Egypt. And at first they were very well treated by Pharaoh, but then another Pharaoh arose that knew not Joseph and everything changed. And so this is how the Pharaoh now treated the Israelites, Exodus chapter one. Verse 11, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And, verse 13, and the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. They made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar and in brick and in all manner of service in the field. And all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. The last thing, he even commanded that their baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. God said, you were strangers in the land of Egypt. That should say something to you Israelites about how you should treat the Israelites. As if God is saying, do not you Israelites Treat the stranger in your land the way the Egyptians treated you. Don't do that. They were strangers. Strangers ordinarily in a country have no rights. They're foreigners. They have no rights, and they have no one to help them. If they are in trouble, they can cry out, but who cares about a stranger? But God cared about the strangers in Egypt, about his people. He heard their cries and he showed them mercy and he brought them out. And now God says to Israel, what I have done to you, you do to the stranger that dwells among you. Love them, show kindness to them. Well, that's Israel. What about for us? Who is the stranger then for us? Well, it starts out with anyone that we do not really know. It may be an unbeliever. It may be a believer that we simply have never met. It is someone obviously who has a need, needs food to eat, needs shelter, needs a bed to sleep in. Because keep in mind that we too were strangers. Ephesians chapter two speaks of that. Ephesians chapter two verse 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Strangers, without hope, without God, we, no spiritual need. and knowing what God has done for us, now he says to us, turn and do that to the stranger that you encounter. The importance of this exhortation, I want to stress how important this exhortation is. First of all, when you look at the text itself, the fact that it's put in the negative, That's a way that the Spirit emphasizes the positive by stating, do not. That's what he says here. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. The negative emphasizes the positive. As a mother who might say to her child, now don't forget to do your homework while I'm gone. there is implied there the positive, be sure you do it. And that's the idea of the text. Secondly, when the negative is used and the form here emphasizes that, it indicates that the situation might be that you very easily could forget and maybe have not done it in the past. In fact, the text could be translated that way. Stop neglecting the hospitality to strangers. Stop neglecting it. It could be understood that way. It certainly has the idea of a continuous action so that in all situations, at all times, Be sure you are showing hospitality. So the text itself emphasizes the importance of the exhortation. But let me bring two more things that show how important this is. Number one, when the Spirit through Paul in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 gives the qualifications for office bearers. It starts out with a bishop that is elders and ministers in both places. He said they must be given to hospitality. They must be given to hospitality. That is a requirement for an office bearer in the church. That shows the importance of the exhortation. But in addition, just consider now to whom this is written. It's written to these Hebrew Christians who themselves were persecuted, cast out of their own society, maybe cast out of their own homes by their parents. Those who would be in a very difficult position to be able to show any hospitality to other people, they were often in need of hospitality themselves. And yet, though you might say, well, if there's anybody in the world that would have an excuse not to show hospitality, it would be these Hebrews Christians. But here's the command. Don't forget to be hospitable to strangers. That tells us there is no excuse for us when it comes to showing hospitality to strangers. There's no excuse. Excuses are easy to come by, though. I do not have a very large home. I don't have a very nice home that I can bring people into. It's kind of run down. Or, I don't have anything planned. I don't have very much planned for a meal today. Or, I'm just not very good at hosting people. Or, I'm just too tired. Or, I'm just too stressed. Or, I just don't feel like it today. Or, I don't have enough money for this. You can come up with all kinds of excuses Why not? But God's clear, continuous command is, forget not, neglect not, to entertain strangers. The love for the stranger is what motivates. Love for the stranger. Peter writes, hospitality now grudgingly, without grudging. That's the kind of hospitality that is. It's not a not a forced, oh, I guess I have to do this, but it's a love for the stranger that says, let me do something. I want to. So if it means that we deny ourselves, fine, but we want to show love to the stranger. The Bible is surprisingly full of examples of showing hospitality. I'm going to call attention to a number of them. Two notable examples are the ones that we read here in Genesis chapter 18 and 19. Abraham sitting there in the heat of the day, relaxing in the shade, and he sees three men. And what does he do? He runs out to meet them. And he tells them, come to my house. Surely this is why you have come here. Let me wash your feet. Let me get you something to eat. And then something to eat. He said to Sarah, quick, make some loaves. He ran to the herd and picked out the best of his flock and brought it to a servant and said, now take care of this, kill it and roast it. And it sounds like it just happened here. took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed and set it before them. But that was quite a long process. That was a lot of work that he went into in order to serve these completely strangers, complete strangers to him. And then Lot, sitting at the gate and seeing strangers come to the city, knowing that it would not be safe for them to stay out, invites them to his home to stay overnight and to have some food. And when they said, no, but we'll stay in the streets, it would have been very easy for Lot to say, well, okay, but if you need a place, I'll take care of you. If you need a place, just come to my house. He says, no, you must. Come to my house. He pressed upon them and they came. A man who lived at the same time of which the Bible says he lived almost a life without reproach was Job. And Job said in Job 31, 32, the stranger did not lodge in the street, but I opened my doors to the traveler. David experienced it. Out in the wilderness, the wise Abigail, the wife of the foolish Nabal, brought a feast of food to David and his 400 men. And while he was running from, fleeing from Absalom, some of his friends came to him. 2 Samuel chapter 20, 17 rather. They brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kind for David and for the people that were with him to eat. Tremendous hospitality David experienced. But consider the widow of Zarephath. that took Elijah into her home when she had only enough for one meal for herself and her son. But she lodged him and they ate miraculously as long as there was famine. Or the Shunammite woman who convinced her husband to build an extra room so that Elijah and his, Elisha rather, and his servant could stay there when they were in the area. Old Testament, New Testament, Jesus was hosted frequently by Mary and Martha in Bethany. Zacchaeus made a feast for Jesus and his disciples. The two travelers to Emmaus while Jesus was walking with them, pressed him to come and lodge with them and to partake of bread with them. Believers also extended hospitality to Paul and to his company when he was on his missionary journeys. Lydia of Philippi and a man named Justice in Corinth where Paul stayed as well. It was not always practiced. John in his third epistle, first of all, addressed to a man named Gaius And he contrasts Gaius with another man in the church. He says about Gaius in 3 John 5, Behold, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers, which have borne witness of thy charity before the church. Strangers who came to this area, to the church, and Gaius took care of them. Verse nine, I wrote unto the church, but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, received us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds, which he doeth, prating against us with malicious word, not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren. He will not receive them. These examples show us what God intends for us by this admonition, show hospitality. It means to help those who are in need. It doesn't have to be a complete stranger. Jesus made that plain in Matthew chapter 25. Remember the description of the final judgment. And this is what Jesus says, To them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was in hunger, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison. and ye came unto me. And when they, in this parable now, when these people said, when did we do this? Jesus' answer was, in as much as you have done it to one of the least of these, my brethren, fellow believer, you have done it unto me. Paul exhorted the elders of Ephesus in chapter 20 to be sure to support the weak of the congregation, following his own example. The weak of the congregation are those who have special needs, the elderly, the sick, the poor, those who are disadvantaged in life. It may be economically, mentally, or physically. Widows and widowers of the congregation, those who have special needs, be sure, elders, You take care of them, be sure. And Jesus' instruction to the people in Luke chapter 14, he said, when you have a feast, when you have a feast, do not call your friends and your family. They will pay you back. And then it becomes, yes, you have me over, I'll have you over. He said, no, when you have a feast, call the poor, call the maimed, call the lame, and the blind because they cannot repay you. That's showing hospitality to those in need. But that certainly includes those who are perfect strangers, someone you never met, someone that comes to church perhaps. Our first response must be love for the stranger. That is so obvious from what God said to Israel in the Old Testament and the basic meaning of this word. Love for the stranger must be what first comes to us as we see someone we do not know. It means we care about that stranger. It means that We want to find out, is there some way I can serve? I can help. Is there a need for a meal? Is there a need for a place to stay? Perhaps it's someone from a foreign land even that may be visiting for a time or just a brief visit. What can we do for the stranger? That's what should come to our mind immediately. Hebrew Christians, to whom this is addressed, had done that. In chapter six, verse 10, it speaks of the fact that they, of their, their work of love and their ministering to the saints. But now he says, you've done it in the past, but don't forget it. Don't forget it. Continue this. So the question is why? What's the reason why God would so press upon us this exhortation to show hospitality, especially to strangers? The basic reason is this is a demonstration of the covenant love and friendship that God shows to us. It flows out of God's covenant of grace. Think about what God does when he establishes his covenant. God does not take someone who's nice, friendly. God takes a rebel. God takes someone who is by nature full of hatred and envy and murder and evil speaking. Exactly what you see in the culture in America so many times, in the conflicts that we have in our country, hatred and evil speaking that flows out into murder and every kind of physical abuse to fellow human beings. At the bottom of which, of course, is a hatred of God, a hatred of everything that is good. And those who live that way are filled with the hatred that Satan has for God and all that is good. God takes that kind of person. That's what we are by nature. God takes that kind of person And out of his love and mercy, he works a complete change. Listen to what he does. According to Ephesians chapter two, Ephesians chapter two, after talking about the fact that we are dead in sin by nature, dead in sin, then we read this, but God, who is rich in mercy. For the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to us through Jesus Christ. The immense grace of God, the riches of His grace, that's not a mere word. It is expressed in God's kindness. what He has done for us, the deliverance from sin, bringing us into the very covenant of God. He makes those who were enemies to become friends, even His children. Completely undeserving, it's all of grace, that's what the chapter in Ephesians reminds us. Yet He makes them to know the love of God, and to experience fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. This is an amazing work, a powerful work of God. Paul set himself forth as an example of that. He said, I was a blasphemer. I persecuted the church of God, but God had mercy on me. God's grace changed me into an apostle. And then he says, and then I labored more abundantly than all the other apostles. Yet, not I. But the grace of God, which was with me. That's the explanation for my life, all grace, all of grace, not that Paul became a puppet or a robot, but he understood that any activity of his life as a converted Christian was not because of himself, but the power of God in him. And he just lived out of that. Yet not I, but the grace of God, which was in me. God causes his people to know his covenant love, his kindness, and his friendship. And in the text, he says, now you go and do likewise. What you have experienced from me, show that to strangers. I'm reminded of the parable of the unmerciful servant who owed his master a debt that could never be paid, And he begged his master to forgive his debt, and his lord and master said, all right, I will forgive it. And then he went out and caught his fellow servant by the throat and said, pay me what thou owest, and refused to forgive him. And his lord and master called him back and said, I have showed you such mercy, and now you cannot show that to a fellow servant? You must, because the mercy of God in you is a power that makes you merciful. So likewise the covenant of grace. God takes into his covenant strangers, rebels, and makes them to know that they are adopted children of God. Strangers who are now cared for. protected. They're not ostracized. They're not cut off. God welcomes them into his own family. That is what must come out in our lives. We who have been given so very much spiritually, who have enjoyed so much love and friendship with God, When we now have the opportunity to show that to someone else in need, we should jump at the opportunity, grab the opportunity, knowing what God has done for us. We cannot wait to show that to others, to strangers, to people who have need. This is simply living out the covenant life we have with God, and all of this reflects back on God. His glory is revealed when we live the covenant life God has given to us. Now, the text has the word for in it, and for normally is expressing a reason. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby have some entertained angels unawares. We know of the two instances in the Bible, the ones we read about, Abraham welcoming three men, he thought, two of them angels, one God himself taking on the form of a man, all of them look like men, and showing tremendous kindness, And then Lot doing the same with the two angels, who again look just like men. Isn't that amazing? To think of angels visiting a believer's home. Angels are higher and more powerful than men by far. They're God's own messengers sent to represent him and to bring messages. They have a special work to serve the church, those who one day will inherit salvation. They defend the church against the attacks of Satan. They're even instruments of God to rule, run the providence, storms and winds. The angels are in control of that, and they praise God. Unceasingly, they praise God to be a host of one of those of angels. Now, the point of the text is not that might happen to you because God is not sending angels into this world in the form of men. But what we can draw from this is We do not know whom we are serving when we assist a stranger. It may be a believer or an unbeliever. It may be a child of God. Jesus said, you have done it to me when you've done it to the least of these my brethren. It may be a minister who needs lodging on his travels as Paul did. It may be simply a visiting believer. But it may be an unbeliever that God puts on our path in order that we may show him the kindness and love that God has shown to you. You know love. You know kindness from God. You know how, therefore, to demonstrate it even to an unbeliever. As we do not know who it is that might come into our home, we also do not know God's purpose, how God will use our hospitality. It may be that it tremendously encourages a fellow believer, someone who is spiritually weary. someone with great burdens that are weighing upon him, someone whose spirit you may be able to refresh so that they can go out in courage and press on in their difficult life. God may use it to strengthen a struggling believer who's doubting. Is the Reformed faith really the truth of the Word of God? It can seem like just some cold doctrines. Now here you, showing hospitality, demonstrate, no, it's not cold doctrine. There's love in this. These are the doctrines I hold to, and this is how I demonstrate it in my hospitality to you. But also, God brings a stranger into your home, perhaps, for evangelism. I see this happening in Singapore, that they have a morning service and then they have a meal, pardon me, a noon meal where all the church gathers together, and then a second service after that. Many, many times someone shows up, they find a church on the internet, they show up, for the first service and the people can immediately then invite them to eat with them. They're showing hospitality there. And a goodly number of people come back for the second service and come back the next Sunday and the next Sunday because they've seen the love in action with the hospitality toward a stranger. and has happened many, many times. So we do not know God's purpose or his plan, but giving hospitality to a complete stranger may be an opportunity for evangelism. In the end, we don't have to know what God's purpose is. We only have to know what God says to us here. Do not forget. to entertain strangers, to show hospitality. In that, there is, in the third place, a blessing. And first of all, the blessing is God approves. God approves of it. We sang that in the very first Psalter number. We talked about a man who takes care of the poor. And the last line of the psalm that we sang was, this man is approved. God approves that. Is there anything more important in your life than to know that God approves? Jesus made it pretty plain that God approves in Matthew 25 when he said, come ye blessed of my father and here at the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. It was approved work that they were doing. Hebrews chapter six, verse 10 referred to that earlier that it makes mention of the work of the Hebrew Christians Hebrews 6 verse 10, let me read what it says there. God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. He's not unrighteous to forget. God remembers it. God approves of what they do. God blesses this obedience. This is God's unmerited grace to his people. This is God's way that he works. It is really quite amazing. God gives grace to a believer to be able to show hospitality to somebody in need or to even to a perfect stranger God gives to that believer that grace, and then he crowns that with more grace. So that showing hospitality now by the grace of God becomes something that he does even more. It is easier. It is more enjoyable. It is more profitable so that a believer increasingly is able to do this work, to converse with strangers, and to be hospitable to them. It takes something for us to get out of our comfort zone, to talk to people that are not Dutch, not middle class, very different, maybe even a different culture, and we have a hard time understanding what they are saying, but we learn to talk to all different kinds of people. And those blessings that God gives extend into eternity. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke chapter 14, when he told the people, don't call your friends, don't call your family, call the maimed, the poor, the lame, and the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, God, Jesus said, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. There is a reward there that Jesus holds out to his people for taking in the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind, taking them into your house and showing them love. Again, we don't understand a connection here. We don't try to measure. Well, if this is the good work, then what do what is God reward me with? We we have no business trying to do that. But this is Jesus word. There is a reward. There is a reward. And it comes through showing Christian hospitality. But there are real spiritual benefits that I want to point out too. First of all, fellowship with saints is a marvelous thing. It's easy to talk with family at our gatherings about all kinds of earthly things. Did you see the game? Do you have any vacation plan? How was your vacation? How are your children doing? Who's expecting in church? Do you like your new car? Did you ever eat at this restaurant? Did you like the food? All earthly. All earthly. Do you recognize that? That's what we so easily turn to in our conversations with our friends. and our family. But if our hearts were filled with the word and with the songs of Zion, that would come out more in our conversation. And that does come out when we show hospitality to the stranger. Will we talk about our lives? Yes, of course. But much more important to us will be what about your church life? Tell me about that. And then let me tell you about my church life. And what do you believe? And now let me tell you what I believe. That's what you can do with a stranger that you invite into your home. I recall a man in the West. who said whenever there's a visiting minister that comes to our congregation, I always invite him over for dinner, if at all possible. Why? Because the talk at the table with the minister will be spiritual, and that's good for my children. I want them to hear that kind of conversation. And that's what happens. Fellowshiping with saints, talking spiritual things will be a blessing. in your home. It will. As you talk about the Word, as you hear others talk about their beliefs, and you come to understand a little different viewpoint, maybe, and you are able to explain your understanding of the truth, and it becomes even clearer in your own mind as you do that. In addition, there is a beautiful appreciation for the Catholicity of the church. It isn't just people like us, many other people. This is God's covenant lived in our homes. That's what it is. God's covenant that He establishes with His people in Jesus Christ, with the people gathered out of every nation, tribe, and tongue, people of high degree, people of low degree, every kind of person. is included in that covenant of grace. And we can experience that. That unity of faith with a true believer, sharpening each other's faith, together praising God and enjoying fellowship. That's the tremendous blessing that we will experience. And all of that for the glory of God. because it's His covenant with us. His love and kindness to us that we have experienced is all that we are showing to someone else. Neglect not, forget not hospitality, especially to strangers. Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy goodness to us in the great and glorious covenant. Thou hast taken us who are strangers and adopted us and brought us into Thy family to enjoy life with each other, life with Thee. We pray, Lord, that that covenant life may dominate our own earthly lives as well. Give us grace, therefore, to show this kind of hospitality to each other, to those who have needs, and to the stranger, as we pray for Jesus' sake. Amen. We sing of God's care for his people in Psalm 146A. We will sing stanzas 1, 3, and 5 through 7. 1, 3, and 5 through 7. 146A. Oh, my soul shall hold the praise. I will sing the glorious praises of my God through all my days. Happy is the man whose mercy Israel's God to me is made. He is blest, who spoke of blessing, and the Lord is not his name. For you, baby, is our offering, sets the morning christmas free. ♪ Gives the sightless eyes to see ♪ ♪ What a home, a house of righteousness ♪ ♪ Let the stranger ye be friends ♪ ♪ House of fabulous and beautiful ♪ God reigns forever, through all ages he is king. Unto him, my God, all time, joyful hallowed be. somehow came after every light. Then blest the Lord, ye saints below, who in his grace divine, The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.