Welcome the Stranger
Do you welcome all who come to you?
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. - Luke 1:8-12
I have to admit I am not always eager to accept people who come to my door, especially those carrying literature about the Kingdom of God.
I am more likely to listen to the FiOS salesperson than to spend much time with the witnesses, and I wonder, do they leave kicking the dust off their feet when they go on?
I would hate to think I would be the one protested against, that I would fair no better than Sodom, just for avoiding an encounter with evangelists.
But I guess it is all a matter of perspective, isn't it? Where I am in the picture depends on who is telling the story.
To the evangelist, I am one of the people on the road who can welcome me or not. But what if, like me, the people who refused to welcome the visitors felt they were already on the right path?
It's not so clear cut, is it?
The only way to guarantee that I have done the good work of welcoming the stranger would be for me to welcome everyone who chooses to come my way, to take the time to be hospitable and attentive to all.
If I did that, I would wind up spending a good portion of my time listening to people's stories and not get any of my work done.
Is that the goal?
Maybe it is. Maybe we are doing the wrong work, being busy alone, when we should be in relationship with each other.
It could be that is the real message here. Take time for each other, or you will find yourself no better off that those who are doomed.
More to come...