Study Group Questions for Genesis 18:1-18. Showing Hospitality to Strangers.

These study questions are paired best for the sermon from April 28: "Hospitality, Being Neighborly to Strangers" but they could also work for enriching your own personal study.

https://scienceridgechurch.podbean.com/e/being-neighborly-to-strangers/

1. Reflecting on your own experiences, can you recall a time when you felt like a stranger in a social setting? How did others' hospitality or lack thereof impact your experience?

2. The sermon highlights Abraham's eagerness to serve strangers. What do you think motivated Abraham to rush and offer assistance to the travelers, even before knowing who they were?

3. In what ways can we make strangers feel like they belong in our communities or social gatherings today? Can you share any personal experiences where you witnessed or received this kind of hospitality?

4. The concept of building rapport with strangers was discussed in the sermon. How do you typically approach building relationships with people you've just met? Do you find it challenging to connect with strangers?

5. Reflecting on the exchange between Abraham and the travelers, what are some modern-day equivalents of blessings guests may offer hosts, and vice versa? Can you share any personal experiences of receiving or offering such blessings?

6. The sermon suggests that strangers may bring unexpected gifts into our lives. Have you ever experienced a situation where connecting with a stranger led to an unexpected positive outcome?

7. The story of the priest in the parking garage was shared to illustrate how our preconceptions about strangers can sometimes lead us to miss opportunities for connection. Can you think of a time when your initial assumptions about a stranger turned out to be incorrect?

8. For those that are aged 50+ How do you think the standards of hospitality have changed in your lifetime? For those that are younger, what pressures or expectations do you feel when you think about offering hospitality?  

9. What practical steps can we take to cultivate a more welcoming attitude towards strangers in our daily lives? Can you commit to implementing any of these steps?

10. If you feel ready for God to show up, try praying every day for the next 30 days for God to provide an opportunity to be neighborly to a stranger.

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*These questions were created with the help of AI.