Welcome to Fall Celebration Sunday! Today we celebrate the beginning of ministries, welcome Marie Kuch-Stanovsky, our new Coordinator of Children and Connectional Ministry, and begin our new worship series, Come to the Table.

This worship series focuses on the spiritual practice of hospitality. What is hospitality? A quick internet search and you’ll find the following: friendly reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, and strangers; the business of providing services to guests in hotels and restaurants. (Merriam-Webster) With the rise of the hospitality and entertainment industry, there has been a loss in the deeper understanding of the practice.

Hospitality is woven throughout our Scripture stories, beginning with today’s story of Abraham and Sarah welcoming and feeding three strangers who turn out to be God. Hospitality of this kind is an outlook, a disposition of the heart where generous actions toward others can flow. It’s a practice of welcoming God and others into our hearts. What makes you feel welcomed?