Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and 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.” Matthew 10:40-42
We can easily overlook how important welcome can be. Churches particularly can forget what it is like to be new, how hard it is to understand what is going on, and the basics like nursery and bathrooms. We live in a world suspicious of strangers, concerned that they mean harm. Most of us have been strangers at some point in our lives. Remember starting a new school or a new grade? We didn't know where to go or if anyone would like us. How good did it feel when we were welcomed and some other child made room for us? The kindest thing we can do is to make room, make space, and make welcome. It may seem so simple, yet it can change someone's life. And Jesus said, when you welcome another you are welcoming him!
Loving Creator, you are the heart of all welcome
and you open your arms to all who come to you.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome.
You gave us homes and families to nurture us
and to teach us how to be kind and generous.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome.
Too often, we can be selfish and full of fear
making no room nor welcoming the stranger.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome.
Once we were all strangers, afraid of fitting in
yet someone make us welcome and we thrived.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome.
Show us your ways of loving and welcoming
so we might see you again among us here.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome.
Make love and welcome our daily task and goal
and make love and kindness the only word on our lips.
Precious Jesus, make us full of your love and your welcome. Amen.
