Good morning, Friends! How are you all doing today? I appreciate that you made the effort to be here this morning!
Today I’ve got a short scripture for you, and then I want us all to think about it. It’s not a scripture you’ve probably thought about before.
It’s from the book of Hebrews, which is a book close to the end of the New Testament, but the writer is referring to something which happened back in the book of Genesis, which is the first book in the Old Testament.
There was this time when Abraham – the father of the Jewish people – was camping out with his family and his livestock, because Abraham was a wanderer and always moving on to fresh pastures.
And along came these three strangers one hot afternoon. Abraham was taking a nap in the heat of the day, and he looked up and saw these three visitors approaching.
Now, you have to understand two things about this story. The first thing is that back in Bible times, welcoming a stranger was an honor. You always offered hospitality to someone who came to your door.
It wasn’t like today, when we all keep our doors locked, and we get nervous when somebody shows up on our front porch. Back then, if a stranger or a visitor showed up, it meant that they chose you that day, that they trusted you to welcome them.
You welcomed them, you gave them your blessing, you wished them peace, you asked them to sit down, you washed their feet, and you gave them the best that you had.
And in return, the stranger shared their news, they told you the reason for their travel, and by the end of the visit you’d made a new friend.
When it was time to go, they thanked you for welcoming them, you gave them directions, and most of all, they blessed you. It was an honor to receive a visitor, you shared your peace with them, and they gave you their blessing as they hit the road again.
So, that’s the first thing about the story of Abraham.
The second thing, is that Abraham didn’t know who his three visitors really were. It turns out that two of them were angels. And if you read on a little farther, it turns out that the third visitor was actually the Lord. You can go and read all about it in the 18th chapter of Genesis.
And the blessing was, that the visitors told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child before the year was out. Abraham and Sarah had been praying for years to have a baby, and it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen.
But now, the visitors said, their prayers were going to be answered, in a way they never expected.
Skip ahead to today’s reading from Hebrews in the New Testament. Different time, but people still remembered the old story. Jesus has come, the church is still new and exciting. You never knew who was going to show up at your door. Let’s see what it says.
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:1-3
We always need to be working on our welcome. That’s the bottom line for this morning. That’s what I want you to remember.
Abraham and Sarah didn’t know who their visitors were. As far as they knew, they were just ordinary strangers, travelers on the road, who came from somewhere and maybe were going somewhere.
Abraham wasn’t expecting anyone that day. He was taking a nap. Then he woke up with a start, and saw these three people standing by the door.
He told Sarah, “Quick! Take some flour, and make a stack of bread for them.” Then he ran to the herd, and got a calf, and he told his servant to bring some fresh milk and cheese, and he served it all to his visitors personally.
That’s what you did back then. But Abraham and Sarah didn’t know that two of their visitors were angels, and the other one was the Lord. Their visitors came from Heaven, and they didn’t know it.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading a book by a guy named Peter DeHaan. The book is called 52 Churches. Peter and his wife spent a whole year – 52 Sundays – visiting a different church each week, to learn about them and to see what they were like.
Some of the churches they visited had hundreds of people there on Sunday, and some of them only had 10 or 15. But week by week, they found that most churches are basically the same – they sing songs, they pray, they take up a collection, and they share a message from the Bible.
But most churches are also very different from each other. Some churches are more formal. Some are contemporary, and some are more traditional. Some have just a piano or an organ, some have drums and guitars. Some churches use hymnals; others print the words in the bulletin, or project the words on a screen. Some served communion, others didn’t.
But the biggest differences – and they noticed these differences time and time again – had to do with how welcome they felt. Some churches they felt warmly welcomed, and others they walked out at the end of the morning without making any kind of connection.
Every church they visited, they tried to find out what they could ahead of time. Did the church have a sign? Was there a phone number they could call? Most important, they tried to find the church’s web site and read whatever they could.
In today’s world, your web site is like your front door. I can’t remember a single visitor here in the last five years, who hasn’t checked us out first online.
Our web site is about 10 years old, which means it’s an antique by now. It’s a dinosaur. If you try to look at it with a cell phone – which is what most people use now – it doesn’t work very well.
There’s no way to ask a question, or have somebody call you. There’s no way to make a donation, which is a real lost opportunity. We really need to start over.
Another big difference Peter and his wife noticed, was whether there was anyplace for them to park. If they had to park way out, that felt kind of intimidating to them. They felt most welcome at churches where there were a few open parking places near the entrance.
That’s something simple that we could work on. If you have difficulty walking, then by all means park in close.
But if you’re in good health, and it’s not pouring rain, think about leaving space for a visitor. I know we all have our favorite parking places, but think about our welcome. It’s not a big thing to leave a space for someone who’s here for the first time, but it can make a difference.
Almost every church they visited, they noticed whether someone greeted them as they came in. They remembered the greeting sometimes much more than they remembered the sermon!
We used to have very organized greeters here at Springfield. We had 3 or 4 of them, every Sunday, and we recruited people who were warm and friendly and outgoing.
When people come back to Springfield, years later, they ask if Donald Brower or George York or John Lance are still around. They remember the friendly smile, or the piece of candy the greeter gave them when they were kids. The greeter knew their name, or asked their name if it was their first time to visit here.
Something people tell me, so many times, is that they’re looking for a church where somebody knows their name.
And on that subject, we really need to remember to ask people to sign the guest book, and give us some contact information. If we don’t have their name, and some way to reach out to them, it’s like they weren’t here.
So, even if you’re not a greeter, please help us to stay in touch!
They may not want to have attention drawn to themselves. They may not want to stand up or have somebody point them out in their seat. But if someone remembers their name, and greets them by name, that’s important. They feel welcome.
We forget how intimidating it can be, to come to a place that’s new and different. It can be pretty anxious to walk into a new church.
Am I dressed OK? Where’s the water fountain and the rest room? Can I sit anywhere? Lots of little questions like that.
Over and over, Peter and his wife commented about whether people talked with them. They said that many times, people were so wrapped up with talking to their friends, that nobody said a word to them.
If somebody comes to a meal, be the first to invite them to join your table. Seeing somebody sitting by themselves, with nobody else to talk to, is a red flag that we’re not being welcoming.
Ask them about themselves! Ask what they’re interested in! Ask if there was something they liked, or if they were curious about. If it seems natural, ask them about their spiritual journey, or about their work, or their family.
Most people come to a church because they’re looking for something. And you may be the most important person they meet today. The pastor is an important part of their visit. But the most important person may very well be you.
I always remember the first Quaker meeting where I served. There was an old woman, very faithful, who came every Sunday, no matter what the weather. Her name was Minerva Bennett.
Minerva told me that she came to the church when she was just a teenager. She was scared, almost too scared to walk in the door.
But when she walked in, there was another woman, sitting in one of the back pews. She saw Minerva, and saw that she was scared and shy. She moved over, and patted the seat next to her and said, “Come sit beside me, and I’ll be your friend.”
Minerva came back the next week, and she came back every Sunday for almost 80 years. That’s what a welcome can do. “Come sit beside me, and I’ll be your friend.”
It doesn’t have to be something forced, or too eager. A welcome should always be natural, just a part of who you are.
Remember today’s Scripture – “Don’t forget to welcome strangers – some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
The Bible says, “You know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers yourselves in a foreign place.” (Exodus 13:9)
When we come to church, we come for ourselves. But we don’t come here just for ourselves. We’re all called to be greeters. We’re welcomers. We’re ambassadors.
As a church, we all need to be working on our welcome. And the big reason is, that no one stays a stranger to us. In every person’s face, we see the face of Jesus. Every visitor may be an angel in disguise.
They’re not strangers. They’re friends we haven’t met yet. Make them feel welcome!