It’s probably seen on every church sign board – on every church bulletin – on powerpoint displays – in fact it’s probably the very first word spoken by the Pastor or during announcements – WELCOME
Signs may say “ALL WELCOME” The opening phrase may be “WELCOME TO WORSHIP”. Welcome.
Such a small word that we say all the time – but an important word that is vital for churches to remain alive. A church would not survive if those who attended believed this is not a welcoming church. A visitor or new-comer would not stay if they were not to be made to feel welcome. What does it mean to be a church that welcomes? It doesn’t mean changing worship styles or the pastor wearing casual clothes. It doesn’t mean being more entertaining or making sure we don’t talk about sin and judgment. Usually a person visiting a church expects these things because they know that these are part of how a church presents itself. In fact sometimes they come for those things because they can get all the other things elsewhere. If they want to be entertained they can go to the footy or to the movies. If they want modern music they can turn on the radio or their Spotify account. No, they are looking for something different in church that they cannot find in our dog eat dog world that judges us by our standing in society. They are looking for hope – They are looking for acceptance of who they are as a child of God and not some insignificant person defined by their possessions or career.
We have a look at what Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me”. So, Jesus is the standard of who and how we welcome. If we look at Jesus’ ministry we see him welcoming all without judgment or discrimination. We all know that he ate with sinners and tax collectors. But he also ate at Simon the Pharisee’s house. A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat. And while he was at Simon’s place a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them. Simon was horrified that Jesus would welcome someone like her. Simon said: If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner. Jesus knew exactly what kind of woman she was and how she had been treated. It could very well have been the woman caught in adultery whom Jesus welcomed back with dignity.
Being a welcoming church is more than just putting a welcome mat at the front door or putting a sign saying “all welcome”. Welcome is more than a word; it is an action and it is also a subjective feeling by the person. What do I mean by that. We might say and believe we are a welcoming church but if the person doesn’t “feel” welcomed then that’s important to understand. If a visitor walks through our door it’s for a reason. It’s not because they had nothing to do today so they thought they may as well go to church. People have TVs and sports to occupy themselves when they have nothing to do. In fact Sundays have become one of those days where people like to go our for brunch or have family gatherings and also sport is very popular on Sundays especially children’s sport. People come to church because they believe at church they going to find something different – they are going to be welcomed by God.
In his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey speaks about a woman, like the woman who came to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears. One of his friends was speaking to this woman who was in desperation and asked her “have you ever thought about going to a church for help”. Her response was “Church! – why would I ever go there? I am already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse”. Is that how people see the church? Is that how people see us. Is that what Jesus is speaking against – judging rather than welcoming?
Jesus sees a direct link between welcoming others to welcoming Jesus and his Father into our midst. It sort of reminds me of what the writer to the Hebrews says – Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it such as Abraham did in our reading a couple weeks ago. We may only get one shot at welcoming someone when they come to visit. And if they feel like they have been welcomed then they will be our greatest witness as they tell their friends and family. But if they are not made to feel welcome then they become our biggest critic and who knows how many people they may affect.
When we are at Holy Communion we experience God’s hospitality. A banquet has been prepared for us and we are welcomed in. We received God’s hospitality to prepare us to give God’s hospitality to others. It reminds me of the song that we sing: Freely freely you have received, freely freely give.
We are welcome by the Lord today and in our encounter with God we receive a blessing in order to be a blessing to other as Jesus explain. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
While we have our “official greeters” at the doors of our church to welcome people as they enter, each of us should consider ourselves a “Welcomer” so they don’t feel like a first timer or an outsider breaking in, but a part of the family. And the welcome is not just as they arrive but also as they leave. Arriving is easy – walk straight in and get involved in the service. But what about after – to invite them in for a cuppa and fellowship. Sometimes they may say they can’t stay – Then maybe you can give up your time of fellowship and walk them to their car and keep chatting. To see if you can follow up. That’s where the welcome really begins as Jesus says – whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Welcoming is made up of many small gestures – gestures like making a phone call to ask how a friend or stranger is doing, dropping off groceries for someone unwell, reaching out to the lonely and most vulnerable among us. How many of our members have become hidden because they haven’t returned since Covid? There is no small gesture. A cup of cold water is the smallest of gifts – a gift that almost anyone can give. But a cup of cold water is precious to a person who is thirsty – in some instances, the gift of life itself.
The smallest service brings with it an eternal reward for the giver and sometimes to the receiver as they are made to feel welcome and return the following week. Don’t underestimate what welcoming and hospitality can do to the receiver and to the giver. Look at the visitors who came to Abraham. 3 angels visit Abraham. As angels they probably didn’t need to eat or drink but they knew how important it was to Abraham to be hospitable so they accepted his hospitality. Sometimes God sends us visitors – angels unaware – for our sake. To teach us how to extend hospitality.
Jesus tells us that small deeds are important – even eternally significant. It doesn’t take much; but it takes something. And every one of us can achieve these things, and every one of us can make that difference – a phone call, a visit, a card. We can find God in those smallest of good deeds and so too can the receiver. We are all called to be Christ to each other and to meet the needs of others through acts of kindness… cups of water. When we welcome one another, we discover the reward that comes from the deep hospitality found in God’s welcome of us. When we give hospitality and welcome to others we begin to understand God’s hospitality and welcoming to us even deeper. Whoever gives even a cup of cold wate will most definitely not lose their reward. Let us become a church that welcomes the least of these and share the blessings we have received from God.
