1 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 upand 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 all 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.10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadOne thing that blows me away in this passage is Abraham’s amazing hospitality – it’s astounding even by Middle Eastern standards. It’s clear that he had no idea that there was anything special about these three men. Eventually he discovers that one is the Lord himself, appearing as a man (verse 13) – and later it turns out that the other two are angels (chapter 19). But at first, Abraham simply saw three strangers through the heat haze – yet he begged them to do him the great favour of stopping so that he could give them a drop of water and a bite to eat. He then ran and hurried and harried his wife and servants to slaughter the fattened calf and provide … not a drop and a bite, but a sumptuous feast of curds, milk and tender beef – for them to fill themselves while he stood respectfully under a tree.Abraham’s trust in God over so many years had clearly transformed the way he treated others. He was a man of self-sacrifice and generosity, whose faith was alive and kicking (see James 2:14-17).His sacrificial generosity is a huge challenge for me personally. It’s a reminder to me that true hospitality isn’t having friends over for a good time. It’s taking in the stranger, the vulnerable person, the one who is alone and friendless. And as I remember an older pastor saying years ago: You never know when that stranger who needs a meal might turn out to be an angel in disguise.ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen Shead is our Senior Minister and leads our Bossley Park Congregation