Based on Genesis 19.1-11 and Matthew 8.5-13

The Genesis 19 passage we read today has been used for generations as a passage to condemn, shame and hurt same gender persons.  Yet, like many texts in the Bible, it has been misunderstood and used out of context.  Indeed, it is not a text which condemns people, but a text which illustrates God's redemption for those who engage in radical hospitality and love of neighbor.

The Bible gives considerable evidence that the sin of Sodom was not of a sexual nature, rather it is better understood as an illustration of an entire society which was organized and functioned without regard to how God would have people live in relationship to each other.

This passage follows, and stands in contrast to, chapter 18, the story of how Abraham met the three divine strangers under the Oaks of Mamre. He runs to greet them, brings them water and washes their feet, offers them a place to rest and prepares a feast of their best food for them. Abraham and Sarah showered them with hospitality.

The strangers then journeyed on to Sodom. Here they meet Lot, who also welcomes them with hospitality. He rises to meet them, invites them to his home and provides them with a meal. In contrast, however, are the actions of the townsfolk. They assemble a great crowd which is more concerned with how they can abuse the visitors rather than care for them. The town represents the extreme opposite to hospitality, an example of how ultimate selfishness can manifest through horrible actions. The prophet Ezekiel summarizes the sin of Sodom best in the 16^{th chapter:} "48 As I live, says the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16:48-49)