Welcome

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.    Matthew 10:40

            “Behind the Borders”                             Samia Smahi

Welcoming:  It is the thing Jesus begs us to do.

Is it enough to simply shake hands? Remember names? Or does it demand that we be more proactive in offering welcome?  It takes more effort to offer welcome to those who do not agree with us; perhaps more difficult to welcome those who do not share our faith or our ancestral origins.

And yet, “Whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” is an appropriate mantra for today’s pluralistic and often divisive culture. It’s more than a smile or being nice. God calls us to remember that each person we encounter is a child of God; beloved of God.

How might we proactively offer real welcome to those who have come to dwell among us?