Sermon: June 26, 2011
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Let us pray: May the words of our mouths and meditation in our hearts always be acceptable to You, our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen
Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. 6 welcomes. That’s how many times we heard the word welcome in the quick 82 words that Jane read for us. So I’m thinking maybe I should preach on being welcome today. However after further thought and reflection, I think the message might be deeper that just welcome. I think there is a two pronged approach, actually a three pronged approach to this text.
In order for me to explain the three pronged approach I must first begin by explaining the three prongs. Now first of all let me admit that I am not an electrician and there may be electricians here today who could explain this better than I, but I am going to explain a simplified three prong plug. As you visualize the three prongs of a plug, there are two prongs that are parallel, one just a little larger than the other. The larger prong is called the “hot” prong, the smaller of the two is called the “neutral”, and the bottom round prong is called the “ground.” Once an electrical device is plugged in to the outlet the circuit is complete and the refrigerator or microwave or fan or air conditioner works. Each one of the prongs plays a role in making the plug successful. It’s important for you to have that information in order for you to understand the analogy that I will be making with the text.
40“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever 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; 42and 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.”
It is important for the church to be a welcoming institution. Sharon (not a member of this congregation) tells the story of showing up at choir practice ten years ago alone, nervous and a little edgy. She told the story of how so many people genuinely welcomed her into the group. That first impression was so important to Sharon. What a relief! The choir has been her spiritual home since. In the first night of choir practice, she was royally welcomed, not in any formal or ostentatious way but in numerous informal ways. Little conversations. Little looks. Little head nods. The spirit of the choir made her feel welcomed and important. As the years went by, when Sharon got sick, people took care of her. When others got sick, Sharon took care of them. It was in the first welcoming evening and in the repeated similar events through the past decade that Sharon found a new community which transformed her life.
There was so much power in the welcoming. The way that she was welcomed was a sign of the refreshing love and acceptance she would experience for the next ten years. Her first impression of the openness and acceptance of the choir drew her into the choir and she remained there for ten years before she moved to another city.
The welcome for Sharon was wonderful. That welcome came from the “hot” prong I mentioned before.
When she was young, Liz loved the church. It was a place where she was welcomed, where she sensed God's presence, and where good people made her know that she was loved and at home among them. At least that was the case until she sensed a call to ordained ministry. Her denomination did not ordain women at the time. When she shared her sense that she might be called to a preaching ministry, it was as if the welcome space that was home vanished before her eyes. In her words, "All I remember about their response to my making my sense of call public was that they ignored me." Whoever welcomes you welcomes me....
Undeterred, she continued to follow that sense of call, eventually leaving that home that she still loved because she was no longer welcome there. It wasn't until several years later that she finally felt at peace with that decision. It came long after she was ordained and was serving a church. One Sunday she led a group of church members to visit a nursing home. Ella, a 9-year old girl, asked if she could ride along with Liz to go visit those folks. Liz agreed, and on their way, Ella began to talk. She said, "You know, I always thought I was going to be a teacher, but since you came to our church, I think I'm going to be a pastor."
What was once the wonderful welcome, the “hot” prong changed to the neutral prong, at best. It might even be more accurate to say there was an arc in the plug which sent a shock into the outlet when the welcome no longer existed. But what we need to assist in keeping the shock from happening is the ground plug. So what is the ground plug in this analogy. The ground, of course is God.
In today’s text Jesus is preparing the disciples for the task he was sending them on into the world. One prong is Jesus telling the disciples to go out and be a welcoming face. To preach inclusion, to set an example to all they will touch. They are the “hot” prong. Jesus is giving them a great pep talk. He’s got them pretty fired up to go and do their work. And we know that they will meet many people who will support them, welcome them, provide meals and shelter for them.
But he implies, and I believe is also cautioning them, that there will be “neutral” people they meet also. In other words, they probably won’t be welcomed with open arms by everyone they meet. Matter of fact it might not even be neutral, they may be rejected by some of the people they meet. So what would Jesus recommendation be to them as they face the challenges of people who do not welcome them? Jesus would remind them to be grounded by God’s welcome and love for them. Without grounding we would be shocked by any kind of arc in the circuit. It shouldn’t be difficult for the disciples to remember God’s love and care for them. Jesus constantly reminds them of God’s love for them.
So what does this verse mean to us then? Does it mean we should be a welcoming church? Of course it does, and this church happens to do a very good job at being welcoming. But what do we do when we welcome and our welcome is not appreciated, or our words, or our actions? Does that mean that we should stop? Not at all! It means that we are to find our strength in God and continue to do the work that God calls us to do. As Jerry reminded us last week, we do our best evangelism through our actions.
I’m not sure how much Jesus knew about three prong plugs, but I am sure he knew the importance of being grounded! In this week ahead, help us to complete the circuit. Remind us to be welcoming, to be the “hot” prong, but when we face adversity, continue to pull us back that we might be grounded in our faith which reminds us of God’s love for each of us. Amen
