Godly Hospitality (2nd Epiphany A)

A sermon by the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, written for and delivered at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Rincon, GA, on Sunday, January 18, 2026, the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A).

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Primary Bible Reading(s)

(Click on January 18, 2026, to see all of the Lectionary Texts)

John 1:29-42 (NRSVue)

29 The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.” 35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Godly Hospitality

By the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, Program Manager for New Starts, ELCA

Have you ever experienced a truly great host? I’m talking about someone who invites you over to their house, and they really make you feel like you’re at home. “Mi casa es tu casa” becomes more than just a trite slogan. It’s real. You feel at ease in their presence and you don’t have to put on a social mask in order to perform for anyone. Or maybe you are the excellent host who knows how to create spaces of genuine hospitality for your guests. You know how to invite, how to prepare a place and a meal, how to help everyone relax.

My late grandmother was that kind of host. Zoraida Diaz was a Dominican immigrant with a commanding presence, generous heart, and million-dollar smile that could light up a room. She was the matriarch of our family, but also one of the key matriarchs of her church. She happened to live only a few blocks away from the church, so she frequently volunteered to host extracurricular events. She hosted Bible studies. She hosted prayer meetings. She hosted praise nights. And she hosted dinners for just about anyone who needed a warm meal. Growing up, whenever we visited her, we were rarely the only guests. There would almost always be other neighbors or friends or church members. 

My grandparents weren’t wealthy. Her apartment in New York City was not very big, but she absolutely maximized that space to accommodate as many people as needed around her table. Somehow, there was always enough food. Everyone managed to find a sense of community and camaraderie in that space. My grandmother’s hospitality earned her the respect and love of her community. Everyone I knew addressed her with the honorific “Doña” Zoraida, a Spanish word meaning Mrs., Lady, or Madam that is used for older, respected women.

I didn’t always know it as a child, but that kind of hospitality is special. Receiving that kind of hospitality is a gift. It is something that can transform us into more generous and loving people. That is the kind of hospitality that Jesus demonstrates for us in today’s Gospel reading.

The focus of this story seems to be on John the Baptist identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God. First, he pointed to Jesus and testified about their experience at Jesus’ baptism (which we covered last Sunday). John then introduced two of his disciples to Jesus. One of them is Andrew and the other is traditionally believed to be John, the author of this Gospel (not to be confused with John the Baptist). Those two disciples left John the Baptist and would become two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, the future bishops and leaders of the early church.

But how did they become Jesus’ disciples? It didn’t happen in an instant. It happened through Jesus’ practice of hospitality. Andrew and John followed Jesus for a bit, but then, around 4:00 in the afternoon, they asked him, “Rabbi, … where are you staying?” They wanted to spend more time with the teacher. They wanted to learn and listen more. And Jesus could have declined to spend time with them. He could have asked them to meet up with him again the next day or the next week. But instead, Jesus invited them into deeper fellowship. He replied, “Come and see.” He invited them to visit, eat dinner together, and talk about the mysteries of God late into the night. 

Jesus’s hospitality changed Andrew’s life. Jesus set him on a path that would change the world. Andrew couldn’t keep the hospitality and love of Jesus to himself. He needed to share it with others. After an evening with Jesus, Andrew went to find his brother, Simon. That’s the same Simon who Jesus would rename Peter. He told Simon Peter that he needed to meet Jesus because he was the Messiah, the Savior they had been waiting for. Andrew brought Simon Peter to Jesus, and Jesus would change his life. Simon Peter would go on to be the most prominent leader of the early church, the leader of the church in Rome. But the only reason Peter ever met Jesus was because of his brother’s enthusiastic invitation. Andrew became the first known “evangelist,” who shared the Good News of Jesus with his brother. 

We live in increasingly unfriendly times. Connecting with other people and finding genuine communities is harder than ever. It’s much easier for people to get lost in internet rabbit holes and echo chambers, where everyone agrees with you but nobody is there for you when you need it. But God calls us into something greater, but riskier than that. In an authentic community, you have much higher highs, but also the risk of greater lows. We can fellowship together, encourage and love one another, and draw closer to God together. But we can also get on one another’s nerves, hurt each other, and even experience serious harm. That’s nothing to scoff at. But the difficult truth is that we need to risk being vulnerable and getting hurt in order to grow, to achieve that deeper fellowship and love with God and one another. (To be clear, I don’t want anyone to be abused, and churches do have safeguards to prevent abuse and seek remedies after they inevitably happen.) 

But the point is that in order to grow, we need to live in communities. We especially need to offer and receive hospitality, to interact with strangers, people who are different from us in any number of ways. Hospitality is one surefire way to deepen our spirituality, even if it can be awkward or difficult. That is how iron can sharpen iron. That’s how we learn deeper truths about one another and about God. It’s how God transforms our lives and fills us with grace. It’s how we become more grace-filled and loving people. It’s how we become better disciples and followers of Jesus. May God give us grace to be open to making invitations and accepting invitations. May Jesus use godly hospitality to transform us. Amen.