Think back to the last time you truly felt welcome in a new place.
What made you exhale and relax your shoulders? What words made you smile and share something about yourself?
When I think of a life of welcome, I think of a woman who lived in my old neighborhood. Her home was lovely, but it was her warmth and kindness that made me glad to come each week for a women’s Bible study she hosted in her basement. No matter whether I came in a dress or sweatpants, she always seemed delighted to see me.
A little hospitality, a little acceptance, a little love goes a long way.
As the fall begins and we see more visitors at Blue Ridge, let’s not leave the welcoming to Guest Services. We may not all have the gift of hospitality, but we can all be open to allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us. We all can put ourselves in the shoes of that new person.
Offer a smile. Begin a conversation with the person sitting next to you before the service starts. Share a table in the Café or out on the patio.
I recently read an essay by writer Anne Lamott about how very little acceptance most of us experience in life.
“The reality is that most of us lived our first decades feeling welcome only when certain conditions applied: we felt safe and embraced only when the parental units were getting along, when we were on our best behavior, doing well in school, not causing problems, and had as few needs as possible. If you needed more from them, best of luck. It also doesn’t help that the planet is not nearly as hospitable as one might have hoped.”
Let’s make our church an oasis of welcome. In the upside-down Kingdom of God, hospitality is not only a nice-to-have, it’s a need-to-have.
Franklin Graham said, “I just believe as a Christian, we are to show love; we are to show compassion to people, not to point the finger, not to do this, but to do this - to love them, to welcome them, to embrace them.”
Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. — 3 John 1:5