Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:7 (ESV)
Have you noticed how much we enjoy talking about food? We can bring home the bacon, work for peanuts, cut the mustard or have a finger in too many pies. We can butter someone up, egg someone on, cry over spilt milk, go bananas and upset the apple cart. We can be full of beans, one smart cookie, in a pickle or cheesed off. Or life can be a bowl of cherries and a piece of cake. You can take this with a pinch of salt. Maybe it’s not your cup of tea.
You have probably heard the expression ‘to give someone the cold shoulder’. The expression has long been believed to come from medieval times, when a welcome guest would be given shelter, drink and a lavish meal. Some guests might be less welcome or might start out welcome but take advantage of this cultural requirement for hospitality, and quite literally overstay their welcome. In such times, the host would serve a cold shoulder of mutton to the guest, probably leftovers, a meal usually reserved for household staff. It was a not-so-subtle way of saying, “Go away!”
Have you ever felt unwelcome? Have you ever had an experience where you were pretty sure people would rather you were not be around? Or, at least, they didn’t seem too happy that you were there? I think all of us at some point in our life have. You could be standing in a room full of people but feeling very much alone. As Christians we should be welcoming. Hospitality and welcome streams throughout the Bible. Jesus told us:
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” Matthew 5:46-48 (ESV)
Jesus’ ministry was predicated upon accepting people. He erased the artificial boundaries of culture and status, looked beyond people’s sin, and accepted them. He touched lepers, ate with sinners, visited the homes of tax collectors, and even washed the feet of the betrayer. Being a welcoming people is more than an abstract principle. It’s more than words on paper. It’s about real people and real lives.
He said to us:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:35-36 (ESV)
The people said, “Lord, when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you?” Jesus said, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Jesus says that when we welcome the stranger into the church, we are actually welcoming Him. “You welcomed Me.” Christ has welcomed us with amazing love, mercy and kindness. Because of this, Paul says:
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:7 (ESV)