Following Jesus: Welcoming or Welcomed

This short passage from the Gospel of Matthew continues on from our readings the past few weeks. Jesus calls the disciples and tells them they will go out in pairs, proclaiming the good news:

“…the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. Don’t take along any gold, silver, or copper coins. And don’t carry a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick.” Matthew 10:7-9 CEV

The disciples have been warned that some will hate them, there will be divisions within families, and then this short section, about the rewards for those who welcome the disciples.

…

When Ian and I moved into the manse, there were some yummy slices, and lovely flowers when we arrived; and later that day, dinner arrived. A wonderful welcome.

I wonder when you have felt particularly welcomed? What was it that you appreciated or made it so special?

…

“anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.”

This verse is usually considered to mean that something as simple as a glass of cool water will be rewarded. You don’t have to do anything elaborate.

But at that time there was no fridge in the corner, and water was drawn from the well, and kept in clay jars, on hot days, the water would warm up. To give a guest a cup of cold water required an extra measure of hospitality. An unplanned trip to the well, to gather more water so it could be served before it warmed up. A drink of cold water was exceptional. This was exceptional hospitality that stretches the hostess and host beyond the ordinary.[i]

I wonder when you have done something exceptional for someone you didn’t know well?

…….

Have there been times when you needed hospitality or welcome:

when you were looking for a place to rest, or
     a new home
     or even a drink of water

what happened?
Were you offered what you needed?

…

It is one thing to offer a welcome, “into church, or your home, or your life. You have the power. You get to make the decisions as to whom you’ll invite and when. You can control the circumstances, the setting, and the surroundings. You are able to determine when the welcoming will come to an end.

It’s a completely different situation, however, when find yourself on the other side -- the one being welcomed. The one at the mercy of another.”[ii]

Welcoming goes both ways. It is wonderful when we offer a welcome to another person, and it is important to do that. But how often do we accept the welcome of another?

The disciples may have travelled empty-handed, but not empty hearted. They were sent to heal and liberate and announce the good news of the coming kingdom of God.

What gifts do you see in people who come looking for a welcome?

When new people come into:
     our church or our lives,
      our community or our country,
do we see potential,
    or trouble
do we see gifts
     or a burden?

The disciples relied on being welcomed into a home while they were out healing and liberating people. They relied on food and water from people they didn’t know. 

This requires a level of vulnerability.

When we start to imagine what it must feel like to rely on the welcome of others, perhaps then we will have a sense of the kind of vulnerability Jesus knew and Jesus lived. When you have to depend on another, perhaps even for a meal and a place to sleep, trust steps through that door first. When you allow yourself to be welcomed, perhaps that can be the first step to letting go of thinking you are not enough.^[iii]

Are we willing to be vulnerable in our welcoming and allowing ourselves to be welcomed?

---

[i] Rev. Debra Jene in https://revgalblogpals.org/2017/06/27/revised-common-lectionary-a-cup-of-cold-water/

[ii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&post=4931

[iii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&post=4931

all are welcome at the Banquet

Notice what happens when people are choosing teams – it may be for sport or a quiz or even who to cook with on ‘Masterchef’. If I allocated 2 people to be leaders, and asked them to choose their teams, how do you think they would choose?

Could be by who is best at that particular activity; or who they are friends with; who they want to impress; or who they owe a favour to.
When I was at school this was the method of choosing teams for sport – ……

……

The people who first heard the parable, would recognise its teaching from the Book of Proverbs. This part of the book of Proverbs deals with how to succeed in the king’s court, a bit like a business etiquette manual or finishing school. Here Jesus uses the same advice in terms of a wedding banquet, but why does he tell the parable at all??

He tells it because he noticed how people were choosing where to sit. There are good seats and better seats. There are seats close to the host, or the important guest – seats which means you are more likely to get noticed.

This is in a culture where shame and honour are highly regulated, and very important. Knowing where you were in the pecking order was important; that way you would know where to sit, who to invite, and where to seat people. Avoiding shame was very important.

We might think things have changed in the past 2000 years or so, but I wonder how much things have really changed.

About 15 or 20 years ago, I attended a function with Ian, something to do with Ian’s work. I had been visiting at the local rehabilitation hospital all afternoon, got home in time for a quick shower and dress up for the occasion – as you might guess dressing up for a fancy function is not something that comes naturally. Anyway, someone asked me what I did – I answered that I was a community volunteer, and they turned around and started speaking to someone else.

I doubt I am the only person this has happened to, some people only seem to be interested in us if we have something useful to offer them. If by associating with us, they will gain something – otherwise we are seen as a waste of time.

Which brings us to the second part of Luke’s Gospel reading – who to invite. If you were hosting a party, and could invite 10 people, who would you invite? Family, friends…

In a culture of honour and shame, it is important to invite people who could be helpful for you, who will have the right family background for a potential partner for your children; or to help in your business dealings. Why waste time and food on people who have nothing to offer you in return?

In many ways we still live in a culture like this, we may not talk of honour and shame, but we still think about who we invite in terms of our connections.

Are we interested in people for what they can give us, in terms of prestige, information, job referrals, discounts ….

Or are we interested in people.

……..

A few days ago was the 50^th anniversary of the famous speech by Martin Luther King : I have a Dream. Next week we vote in the Federal election. Martin Luther King was speaking in a time when black Americans were discriminated against, it wasn’t always called that. It was just that black people were considered different, and not as worthy as white people.

Politicians of all kinds, are telling us at the moment that some people count more than others.  I spent considerable time yesterday looking through the senate paper, working out what order to put the 110 candidates in – because I refuse to vote above the line. And looking, even briefly, at the policies of some parties was an education. Most want more for one particular group of people, just each political party is wanting extra for a different group.

…….

Hospitality can be defined as “friendly, welcoming, and generous treatment offered to guests or strangers” other definitions are around the hospitality industry – which is hospitality for those who can afford to pay someone to be hospitable to them.

How would we talk about hospitality?

Generally it is people meeting with like-minded people or at least people we like. We do offer hospitality to strangers, but generally not in person. It is easier to be generous to people who are living in poverty, if don’t actually have to meet them. I wonder if that is why mission was so much more popular in churches when it referred to people a long way away?

Jesus challenged the systems and structures of his age, not by throwing everything away, but by changing the definition of who was an honoured guest. It was no longer someone who could smooth out your next business venture, it was someone who could offer nothing in return.

……..

 “ Jesus in this passage invites not just his first-century hearers but also his twenty-first century followers to live differently, to break the rules of “what have you done for me lately?”, and to

value others not because of what they can do for you but because they are -- we each are! -- children of God.” [David Lose]

 

So often it is easy to think we are the people who have our lives together, to know who we are, where we fit into society, and that we have a ‘place’, that we do fit. But what of the reality. Scratch beneath the surface and most people are trying to maintain an image that goes with living in our modern day.  Yesterday in the Herald there was an article on Affluenza, an affliction of our society, where we think we are poor because we cannot afford a large house, two new cars, private schooling and elaborate holidays – and that is why politicians are able to tell us at the moment how badly off we are. The reality is we are not badly off.

In our society at the moment, people are so concerned with getting ahead, getting the next promotion, the next car, upgrading the house, children or grandchildren going to the right schools, so busy working for the privileges of wealth. And where does it get us? tired, stressed, reminds me of Mrs Bucket [Bouquet from Keeping up Appearances]  the amount of work that woman put into being better than anyone else.

Yet around the table, here, we are fed and nurtured by God, we eat and are renewed as members of the body of Christ, we are an honoured guest, not because of our bank balance or our address, but because God declares us to be worthy and honoured.

If you get missed off the invitation lists of parties all the time, welcome to God’s kingdom; if you are looked down upon, here you are cherished; and if you want to be a guest at the banquet of God , you are welcome, but remember so are the misfits, the outsiders, refugees, the unemployed, mentally ill and imprisoned – all are welcome in God’s kingdom, all are welcome at God’s Banquet.

What difference will this story make in your life?