Welcoming Jesus

How do we welcome Jesus today?

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

In today's Gospel reading from Matthew, it sounds like the message is about receiving rewards for doing good.

One reward is the reward of righteousness.  That means to act like God, who remains ever faithful to the covenant He has with us.  

So, to be in good standing with God, through Christ, we welcome those who come in His name (the righteous) and we serve others in His name as well.

To receive the reward of the prophet, which could be wisdom or teaching from God.  God imparts messages through the prophets, so in welcoming a prophet, we gain direct messages from God.

It sounds simple to do, to welcome the righteous and the prophet, but is it?

Jesus gives us a third option, to give in the name of a disciple, which we can easily do.

But who is the disciple?  Couldn't it be anyone who follows Christ?

While the reading today is short, the message runs deep.

We can do all  these things to get closer to God.  We can be welcoming to all who follow in the faith, working and speaking for God.  And we can do whatever is needed in Christ's name to help others.

In fact, we can even do things for others in our own name as disciples of Christ, but I prefer to offer my gifts in Jesus' name.

My ego doesn't need the stroke.

More to come...