Intentionally Welcoming

Currently my wife and I are considering the purchase of brand new living room furniture. We have had the couch and most of our furniture for the entirety of our marriage (over 17 years ) and it looks awful! Our furniture is so worn down with years of abuse from a house full of boys and pets that we don’t really like to have people over because of it. So we have decided that it is time to replace it. The question that has come to my mind several times is “will it be worth it”? I am not talking merely about the financial expense but also the labor and stress of shopping. The short answer is “yes”. The longer answer is a “yes because” and I would like to explain that to you a bit and how I see it relating to the church.

Yes, because I want my guests to feel as though we want them as guests in our home. Intentionality is the key. We have intentionally decorated and prepared a space for them to feel at home. We put thought into what would make our place look comfortable and welcoming. Why do we do that? Because we love our guests.

How does this relate to the church? In Matthew 22, when Jesus was asked by a legal expert what the greatest commandment was, he responded with, “You must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Out of love for our house guests we make our space a place for them to feel welcome. Likewise out of love for our neighbors we should make our spaces (our churches) welcoming to them. For Jesus said the second greatest thing we can do after loving God is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This doesn’t me decorating or adorning our churches in such a way to please ourselves, but rather to put the needs of our neighbors first. It also means that we need to consider our attitude of welcoming our neighbor. Is our church welcoming to our neighbors? Would they feel at home here? Maybe so. The key is to ask ourselves have we been intentional about creating spaces that are neighbors will find welcoming.

Join us this Sunday, August 22nd, as we continue this discussion about “Living Intentionally”.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church