Welcoming the stranger

During the season of Pentecost year A I have discovered that there are a number of Sundays where I have no record of a sermon I gave, so I am unable to post a sermon every week. When I don't have a sermon to post I am going to share some reflections on my experiences visiting churches around the country during my retirement. 

Since I have retired at the beginning of February I have been traveling a lot in my RV and attending a different Episcopal Church almost every week. All of them have been places where I am not known, so I walk in as a stranger. It has been wonderful to experience the variations in worship, membership and energy in these churches, and I have always left feeling touched by God.

But it has left me thinking once more about how we welcome the stranger in our midst. It is something that I focused on and preached about while I was a rector, but now it has an additional meaning to me. Each week I am the stranger, and I have an opportunity to experience something of what a visitor might feel.

Why is it so important to think about how the church welcomes strangers? Each person who walks through the door of the church on a Sunday morning is there because they have been nudged by God. Each one’s story is different. Some are there because they are lonely and looking for community and friendship. Some are feeling a need to be of service. Some have come because they are hurting and need to experience the healing love of God.

If the church is to be a true expression of God’s love everyone in the church needs to honor and be intentional about welcoming the stranger. Remember, that stranger may not be a stranger for long. Perhaps your new best friend has just walked through the door, all you need to do is say hello. Perhaps he or she is the Sunday School teacher, or alto for the choir, that people have been praying for. Perhaps this new person will revitalize the men’s group or help develop a brand new ministry that will change the church. Each one who walks through the door of the church brings unique gifts from God. If they do not feel welcome in your church, God may lead them to one where they will be welcomed and appreciated.