Preparing for Interact
As you begin your time together make sure to introduce any newcomers into the group!
Why not take a bit of time to go around and share who you are, what discipline you are from, and maybe some of the ideas you are exploring in your current work/projects?
Then open up the discussion with these starter questions:
What does 'hospitality' mean to you?
Can you share an example of where you have been welcomed well?
Interact//The Arts
In October 2023, Cardiff-based creative collective 'gentle/radical' worked with artist Sonia Hughes on a project called 'Reclaim the Lane'.
The project worked with a specific community in Cardiff, asking the question 'what does it mean to be a neighbour?'. In responding to this question, Hughes invited neighbours to reflect on the memories, hopes and desires connected to their street.
These reflections were printed as banners and hung up in the back lane shared by the participating households. The neighbours then met together in this same back lane to share the banners over cups of tea, chats and snacks.
This back lane had once been used for a place of meeting, chats and play but increasingly had become an empty boundary. This project sought to reclaim this space and transform a neglected space into a meeting point between neighbours. Read more about the work yourselves here.
Discuss:
What are your reflections on this project?
Consider the contrasting terms 'hospitality' and 'separation'. How has this project explored these two ideas?
This project shows how art can actively connect people, do you know of any other projects that have worked similarly?
Interact// The Word
The Gospel of Luke has a particular focus on hospitality. As he documents encounters people have with Jesus, Luke shows us a radical picture of how Jesus demonstrates what hospitality means in the Kingdom of God.
To kick us off in our series, take some time in your group to explore the following encounter that Jesus has with an expert in religious law.
Ask someone to read Luke 10 v 25-37
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbour to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Short reflection
This story may feel quite familiar to us (a favourite in UK school assemblies!) and so we can often miss how shocking Jesus' teaching would have been to the original listeners of this story! For context, the Samaritans were a despised people group, and Jews considered them to be very unholy and would go to great lengths to avoid any association with them. Yet Jesus highlights the Samaritan as the hero of this story, the one who was willing to cross extreme cultural barriers to show compassion to another in need.
This parable opens up the shape of radical hospitality in God's Kingdom, demonstrating God's mission to heal divides. Jesus is calling his would-be followers to widen their definition of who is their neighbour, of who is worthy of love and compassion. Instead, they should demonstrate self-sacrificial love and welcome anyone in need regardless of cultural or ethnic division.
However, this parable understood in the wider Gospel story also has a bigger meaning. The story is told in response to a question from an expert in the law who asks 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?'. The self-righteous expert in religious law could not have imagined that Jesus' answer would have been to be more like one of those rotten, immoral Samaritans. The expert would have expected to be told to be more like a pious priest or an upright temple assistant! However, Jesus' answer demonstrates that those who are welcomed in his kingdom are not those with the best moral standing in society, but those who receive him. Jesus tells this parable as an echo of his own journey as one who has come to us, but will eventually find himself stripped, beaten, and left for dead on the cross - Jesus is the Samaritan in this story. Many will ignore his death, but this parable shows us that whoever receives him, no matter who they are, will be those who will be welcomed by Jesus into eternal life.
Discuss.
In your own words, describe the interaction between Jesus and the religious ruler in vv25-28. What are the religious ruler's motivations?
How does Jesus use imagination to challenge and respond to the man's question 'who is my neighbour?'
An expert in religious law would have thought that someone like a Samaritan would never be welcomed by God into eternal life. What does Jesus' parable show us about who is welcomed by God?
Get creative: how might you retell this story for a contemporary audience today?
Interact// Ourselves and Others
The priest and the temple assistant both ignored the needs of the beaten man. Why might we be tempted to ignore the physical and spiritual needs of those around us? How does this parable challenge us?
Reflecting on what you have discussed, how would you answer the question 'What does it mean to be a neighbour?'
Wrapping Up
God has welcomed us, and so calls us to welcome others. Reflecting on both the art and the Bible passage you have discussed, are there ways you could use your creative gifts to connect with someone this week?
Why not pray about what you have discussed this week?
Father God, we thank you that you do not judge us based on how well we perform, but accept us because of what Jesus has done on the cross. Thank you that Jesus suffered for us so that we can know you, no matter who we are. Help us to have a greater view of what it means to love you and to love our neighbour. Help us to care for the needs of those around us this week.
Amen.