The Stranger At The Table

The Stranger at the Table | Genesis 18:1–15 & Philemon 1–25 In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Lewis Galloway reflects on the deeply Christian practice of hospitality — not simply welcoming friends or familiar faces, but extending love to the stranger, the outsider, and the forgotten. Through the story of Abraham and Sarah welcoming mysterious visitors beneath the trees of Mamre and Paul's appeal for Philemon to receive the runaway slave Onesimus "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother," we are invited to see how the gospel reshapes human relationships and creates a new kind of community rooted in grace. Again and again, this message reminds us that hospitality is more than politeness or kindness. It is love in action. From stories of strangers becoming friends, to churches opening their doors during times of crisis, to moments of reconciliation across racial and social divides, this sermon explores how welcoming others transforms not only the guest, but the host as well. When we open our hearts and tables to others, Christ often meets us there in unexpected ways. And when Jesus sits at the table, we never know what grace might do next.