Under the tree of Mamre

In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah receive three visitors. They are welcomed: with water to wash their feet, freshly-baked bread and the killing of a fatted calf. In return Abraham and Sarah receive a promise: that despite their old age, they will still bear a son. It is a promise that seems impossible: Abraham wonders, Sarah laughs; but it is a promise which, we are told a couple of chapters later, come true.

It is a story which is filled with rich imagery and theological depth.

It is also a simple story of welcome and hospitality.

The imaginative contemplation shared here is a variation on one I have used a number of times, to invite others to reflect on the gift of encounter, including most recently with some very lovely year 5s (yes, I've been allowed out on real-life school visits, not on zoom, that was fun!)

Imagine. Abraham was sitting under a tree in Mamre, but imagining ourselves back a few thousand years to a very different culture and context isn't always easy, so don’t try to imagine yourself there. Find your own equivalent. Find what this story really means to us, here and now. This is home. Imagine yourself into a place where you feel safe, comfortable, happy. When the day's work is mostly done and it is time to relax.

Picture that scene. What can you see, hear, smell? Above all, how do you feel?

And then. Imagine. Three strangers appear at the edge of your field of vision: over the garden fence, perhaps, or glimpsed through the window. You have never seen them before and it is unusual to see people in that place or at that time. This is not a normal time of day to be travelling. These people are not supposed to be here. 

What are your first thoughts? Your first reaction?

Do you look up ... or look away? Do you hope that they see you ... or hope that they don't? Do you smile and wave ... or quickly duck behind the curtains? 

Would you run to greet them? Or run and hide?

In Abraham’s story, what happens next is a moment of encounter. Imagine. Make that be true in your story too. Imagine meeting those three strangers. How does it go? Do you speak the same language? Do you manage to communicate? How is your offer of hospitality received? What do you choose to offer or to share ... and what do you choose to withhold? 

Imagine. Share food together. For you it might not be freshly-baked bread and a choice tender calf. What is your own equivalent? Your special meal, your generous welcome. Imagine the sounds, the smells, the tastes as you sit at table together.

Above all, how do you feel?

And then there is an offer, a promise, a gift. 

Imagine. What do these travellers bring to you? And how do you react to what is offered when you realise it is something good? Are you surprised, troubled and confused? Do you laugh, and deny that it is possible? Do you fold your arms across your chest, thinking you don’t need or want anything from them? 

Or do you open your hands, your mind, your heart? Do you receive what is offered?

Do you recognise it just might be of God?

"Continue to love one another as brothers and sisters; and remember always to welcome strangers; for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it"

Hebrews 13: 1 - 2