Are All Welcome?

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16, ESV)

I had a blast looking at front door welcome mats and tried to envision the people that would use some of them. I giggled and laughed for about fifteen minutes and then realized that they must be popular sales items to make it to the internet. What a sobering concept! But let’s just have a good chuckle together. I will list just a few.

·         WELCOME  Please leave by 9.

·         The neighbors have better stuff.

·         I see London I see France…

·         Welcome to the jungle!

·         Welc—wait, who did you vote for?

·         Ring doorbell and run. The dog needs exercise.

·         Be quiet or babysit. The baby is sleeping.

·         WARNING! Dog cannot hold its licker.

·         Doorbell is broken. Yell DING DONG really loudly!

Okay, so there really are various levels of humor to be found with these mats, but on a more serious note, just how welcoming are we?

Do we go out of our way to help strangers feel comfortable or cozy? Truth be told, we most likely look at their appearance and make some kind of internal judgment before saying a word. Maybe we heard their silly or annoying laugh all the way across the room and approach them for small talk because it’s the right thing to do. Certainly, we would not be slowed down by ethnicity, would we?

I know we have all attended an event where we felt totally out of place. If we could have just slipped out the back door or stayed in the restroom until it was all over, we would have had a better experience. We get the yucky whirling in the pit of our stomach that tells us: you don’t belong here. I’m sad to say I have even had that feeling inside some churches (which I never revisited).

Why do people withhold hospitality? What are we afraid of? How dangerous can it be to offer a smile or a greeting of hello. We cannot catch any bad germs from being kind (even from a distance). I don’t know about you, but I can still tell when someone is smiling under that mask because there is a special sparkle in their eyes.

 We need to be welcoming to strangers, braver to share and less judgmental. God doesn’t wear a mask and those are the things that make Him smile. Can’t you imagine the twinkle in His eyes?

If We Are the Body with Casting Crowns

Gracious Father, thank You for Your example of caring for others. Help us to just do it naturally, as You do. AMEN.