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Radical Hospitality

Month 6| week 2: PREPARE

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WELCOME!

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Shark Attack

Let’s Play!

Shark Attack

Materials Needed: Timer

Game Preparation: Move chairs and desks around to create a space for this game.

Designate a small area as the “shore” and choose someone to be the lifeguard in today’s game.

Instruct students to spread out around the room. Explain that everyone in the group is stranded in shark-infested waters, and that it is the lifeguard’s job to bring them safely to shore.

Once the timer starts, the lifeguard will run to each student individually and guide them safely to the “shore”. The students “in the water” have the freedom to choose if they want to walk or be dragged back to shore (because they’ve been attacked by the sharks!).

The game concludes once every student has been rescued. Repeat as many times as possible with new lifeguards to see who can rescue the group the fastest.

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Digging deeper

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If you were one of those being rescued, why would you choose to be dragged to shore?

If you were one of those being rescued, why would you choose to be dragged to shore? Why would you walk? As a lifeguard, why were some people easier to rescue? (Take a few moments for students to share.)

Jesus interacted with people in unexpected ways. He welcomed those that society pushed away, and he spoke to them about God’s love. We read about one example from the story of Jesus meeting Zacchaeus, the tax collector.

Zacchaeus wasn’t an ordinary tax collector but the chief tax collector, and his wealth came from enforcing Rome’s tax law on his fellow Jews. Tax collectors were not viewed positively at this time in history. People generally did not like them. On this day, when the crowds pushed in against Jesus, it was hard for Zacchaeus to see him. In order to get a glimpse of him, Zacchaeus had to climb a tree to see over all the people. Luke 19:5-7 explains that:

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When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

Luke 19:5-7

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Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came �to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:8-10

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What do you think led to Zacchaeus’ unexpected response?

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Jesus’ example shows us that radical hospitality looks very different from what we think it should be. Radical hospitality looks more like welcoming people whom society may see as unlovable. These people don’t just include our friends and family, but they include those who are broken, lost, neglected, ashamed, outcast, and marginalized. And the surprising thing is that these people also include our enemies.

Jesus’ purpose in life was to come to seek out the outcasts in society and to rescue them. We see him do this when he sought out Zacchaeus and showed him radical hospitality, despite what society thought of him. The very same people that others hated and insisted were unworthy of God’s love are ones whom Jesus pursued and offered God’s radical love, mercy, and forgiveness.

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So what…

How does Jesus’ example of radical hospitality affect our lives today?

Tool time

So the big question is SO WHAT? How does Jesus’ example of radical hospitality affect our lives today? How does it help us share God with others? (Let students think about this for just a moment.)

It is so easy to make snap judgments based on a single post online or comment with technology being a part of our everyday lives. We’ve all experienced how easy it is to judge someone without even knowing them. Instead of judging them, we should follow the example of Jesus by moving toward a person with whom we may disagree.

We see an example of radical hospitality in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. At this time in history, Jews and Samaritans disagreed with one another so much that when Jewish people had to travel through that area of Israel, they would often avoid it and walk a longer route, just so they wouldn’t have to interact with each other. But Jesus shows us a different way of looking at hospitality when he shared about loving our neighbor, even when we disagree with them.

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He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Luke 10:27

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Who is our

neighbor?

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How has Jesus’ example changed who you may see as your neighbor?

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Gospel tool

Who do you know that could use radical hospitality?

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Key idea

Jesus shows us what it looks like to love others well.

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who can i invite this week?

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Let’s pray

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Thanks

See you next time!