Emphasis Preaching Journal

With great regularity we receive invitations to this and to that. Some are downright oblique. Many invite us to come and receive a free gift, but invariably there is a hook in the invitation. More often than not, the invitation comes with an ulterior motive; it usually is aimed to ignite the fires of rampant consumerism.

The rich woman from Shunem stands as an illustration of unsullied hospitality. And even when given the opportunity to "cash in" on her generosity, she declines, "I have all I need here among my own people." How unusual! How refreshing!