19 Feb I was a stranger in church.

One of my favorite scriptures is from Matthew:

Matthew 25:35-36 

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Of course, I believe that The Christian Center does a very good job living up to this verse.  But what about you? Do you feel like you do a good job as well? I would like to relate something that I believe falls into the part of the verse about inviting a stranger in.  For me, I would be very uncomfortable inviting a stranger into my home.  I really don’t have much of an opportunity to do that, for which I am thankful.  But could that verse be referring to other things as well?

Recently I visited a new church.  We have moved to a new area and I have driven by this church many times and I have always been intrigued.  So last Sunday my wife was not feeling well and decided not to go to church, and I thought that I would stop by and visit.  It is a modern type church that has an auditorium built in a half-round with chairs instead of pews and an abundance of “theater” seats.  It has a stage for the worship team equipped with more than ample amplifiers and not skimping on the essentials of spot lights and fog machines.  The worship songs were great!  It made me truly feel that I was worshiping God.  The sermon was very well-thought-out with many references to the original Greek and how it is sometimes difficult to translate into our limited English because of the different nuances of the original language.  Overall it was a good experience.

So where am I going with this?  I was the stranger that morning.  How was I welcomed?  When I came to the front door there was a greeter.  He spoke to the person right in front of me.  He obviously knew her.  He spoke to the person right behind me.  He knew him as well.  But me? Well, apparently I was invisible to him.  He never noticed me.  When I went into the church no one said a word to me: not a hello or even a smile or handshake.  I was a stranger.  It is best to keep your distance from strangers.  We all have been told that.  But that is not their home you say.  Well, we are all the body of Christ.  And it is that body, with Christ at the head that makes up His church. 

Colossians 1:18  ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church;

 Romans 12:5  ⁵ So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

So each of us can invite a stranger in: with a greeting, a smile, a handshake or whatever it takes to make that stranger feel welcome.  By doing so, we are also doing that for Christ.  “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”   Matthew 25:40.

Rex Teeple