06/14/2026
This Sunday, Brenda set aside her Food for Change lead-person hat and shared from the pulpit, drawing from Genesis 18—the story of Abraham and the strangers.
In this passage, Abraham demonstrates radical hospitality, immediately welcoming these unknown visitors and offering them rest, water, and food. In return, the strangers bless Abraham and Sarah with the incredible news that within a year they would have a son, despite their old age.
Brenda explored the truth that when we welcome strangers, we often receive blessings ourselves. Sometimes those blessings come in unexpected ways—through divine encounters, through people following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, or simply through the grace found in human connection.
Brenda tied this story directly to Hebrews 13:2:
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
She showed how the writer of Hebrews points us back to Abraham’s example, reminding us that hospitality is more than kindness—it is sacred space where God is often present.
Brenda also shared this powerful quote:
“When we choose to wonder about people we don’t know, when we imagine their lives and listen for their stories, we begin to expand the circle of those we see as part of us. We prepare ourselves to love beyond what evolution requires.”
— Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger
Toward the end of the service, Brenda invited us to share our own stories with this prompt, and many offered beautiful testimonies:
Can you share a time when you welcomed—or were welcomed as—a stranger? How were you blessed? In what ways did you experience God’s grace and generosity?
Do you have stories of encounters with strangers? Feel free to share them in the comments. We bless each other through our stories.
And thank you to Becky, Sue, Mike Sahlberg, Butch, and the other Mike for showing hospitality today by sharing your gifts and talents in worship.
