Welcome and hospitality are important values in the church. And in these times that we are worshiping together in spirit but not in body, I wonder if this is what we miss the most. While we may greet one another in the comments on the Facebook feed, or briefly say hello over Zoom, it is far from the experience we are used to – of seeing one another face to face, extending a warm greeting and handshake, and helping one another participate in worship more fully.
However we gather for worship, when we help people feel welcome, we are communicating that we want them to join in and be part of us. We are communicating that God loves them and that there is a place for them among God’s people here.
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| Photo by Karen Mallonee on Flickr |
There are two sides, though, to hospitality – there’s the practice of welcoming others into our space, and there’s the practice of being welcomed into someone else’s space. Both require a certain level of vulnerability and a willingness to step beyond our comfort zone. As the church, we often focus solely on the first practice. Sometimes we do this well, sometimes we need a few nudges to make it a priority to welcome others.
Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew is concerned more with the second practice, however. These three verses come at the end of what is often called the “missionary discourse.” Jesus is preparing the disciples to be sent out, giving them instructions for their work in his name and cautioning them that this work is not for the faint of heart.
Jesus tells the disciples not to bring lots of provisions – no extra money or clothes. He tells them that they won’t know ahead of time where they’re staying or how they will be received. Jesus tells them that taking up the cross and following him necessarily reprioritizes all the other relationships in their life, even their closest family relationships.
So, in being sent out, the disciples must depend on the hospitality of others. Rather than welcoming others into a space with which they are familiar, the disciples will hope to be welcomed by strangers. And, in being welcomed, they will have the opportunity to learn some important lessons along the way.
Because the disciples have no one else to depend on, they will look for God’s presence in the presence of the strangers they encounter along the way.
Because the disciples have nothing, they will learn to be even more thankful for all they receive.
Because the disciples have nowhere to belong, they will experience the true meaning of hospitality.
Because the disciples are journeying to new places and meeting new people, they will have the opportunity to make connections and hear stories that expand their experience of the world.
Because the disciples have nothing to offer in return, they will come to know grace in a powerful, transformative way.
Because the disciples are outsiders, they will truly understand what welcome means, and will be better equipped to offer it themselves in the future.
And, in being welcomed, the disciples will allow those whom they encounter to participate in God’s mission as well.
Perhaps the ones the disciples visit cannot travel. They may not be called to full-time proclamation, sharing the good news of the nearness of the kingdom of God to others. Even so, the work they do in welcoming the disciples helps spread this same message of God’s love and God’s welcome. In welcoming the disciples, they also welcome Jesus, and in welcoming Jesus, they also welcome God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. What had seemed to be just a small thing doesn’t seem so small now.
Can you think of a time when you were welcomed well, and shown gracious hospitality? In what ways have you experienced God’s love through the welcome extended to you?
When I think of the times I have experienced wonderful hospitality, I recall a feeling of ease, and peace. In a gracious host who often provides what I need before I even ask for it, I can catch a glimpse of God’s provision and God’s welcome. In the times I have been invited into traditions, meals, and practices unfamiliar to me, I have learned to practice humility, and to watch, listen, and follow the example of the host.
It seems that, more often than not, when we engage in the practice of welcome and hospitality, we are pleasantly surprised by how God shows up in the midst of it. In welcoming and being welcomed, we experience grace and practice gratitude. In welcoming and being welcomed, we are reminded of the connections we share through Jesus, the one who has welcomed all of us with open arms.
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