Abraham and Sarah first appear in Genesis 12, and significant encounters with the Holy take place in nearly every following chapter. In our reading the Lord appears as three visitors in the middle of the day. Though the text alternates between the Divine as singular and plural, the visit necessitates an immediate, humble, and gracious welcome, and more than “a little bread” of hospitality; a wondrous and generous spread in true Middle Eastern fashion.

I have heard of a spirituality program called “Shade and Fresh Water,” a reference to the simplest of gifts that are often offered in hospitality in many parts of the world. Hospitality is a key element in thriving churches and a constant topic in books and seminars. The message seems clear—hospitality is the hallmark of followers of Jesus. Yet too often, hospitality focuses on who is bringing snacks for fellowship hour.

Are we not called to a more radical hospitality, an offering of welcome to the stranger, the foreigner, the neighbor who may not grace the doors of a church? Can we keep in mind that the Holy One often appears when we least expect a visit, in the hottest part of the day, in the middle of a phone call, or even on Sunday morning disguised in the ordinary?

Many who read this passage will have in mind the image by Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev called The Trinity. It is an amazing representation of the three visitors at a table sharing one cup and pointing to the Holy as mutual relationship.

How do you see yourself in mutual relationship with the Divine as you extend hospitality to all whom you encounter?