Our Latest Sermon at GTCC:

Sunday, October 18, Bearing Witness with Hospitality

Building off last week’s theme of Bearing Witness with Love, Pastor Andy invited us into the practice of hospitality. Hospitality is love of the stranger if you parse out the Greek word. Peter invites his followers to practice hospitality without grumbling as an act of love in 1 Peter 4:8-10. How can we bear witness to God’s grace if we can’t extend grace to others. How can we bear witness to Love, if we short circuit that love by fear of the stranger.

This sermon uses the story of Elisha, the young boys who jeered him by calling him “baldy”, and the bears that mauled 42 of those boys to look at how fear of the stranger often cuts short our ability to witness with love. (2 Kings 2:23-25) These young boys chose to resist a welcome to a prophet in their hometown of Bethel. Was it because of fear, dislike of strangers, or the battle between one the God honouring worship and life of Elisha and the rebellious, covenant-breaking, idolatry that was practiced in Bethel? Not that different to what we might face as we bear witness in the world today.

Martin Marty wrote, ““In a world where strangers meet strangers with gunfire, barrier walls, spiritually land mined paths, the spirt of revenge, and the record of intransigence, it sounds almost dainty to come on the scene and urge that hospitality has a strong and promising place.” But, it is in true hospitality, love of the stranger, that we can best bear witness to the story of Jesus!

Current Sermon Series: Bearing Witness

September 13-November 1

To bear witness means to show that something is true, or to state formally that you saw or know something. It moves past passive watching into an active role of providing proof, testimony, or evidence.

We are invited to play that role for Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit. We are called to point to the presence, grace, and love of God with our actions, our words, and our lives. Sometimes we lack confidence and other times we just aren’t sure what to do or say that will point others to God, but as Ambassadors for Christ, we need to build up our ability to “Bear Witness” to the Way, the Truth and the Life!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8