M2: The Welcome

Text: Matthew 10:40-42
Theme: “M2: The Welcome” (2nd in a Series)
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
June 26, 2011
First Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.

Every now and then, after deleting spam, I’ll open an email with interesting content that may – or may not! – make it into the pulpit. It could be a joke, a story, or a fresh way of looking at an old subject. I’d like to thank one of members, who will remain anonymous, for passing this story along. It’s about a retired man named Charley.

It turns out Charley had just taken a job as a greeter at Wal-Mart. After a few weeks, a s problem developed. Having just retired from the military, Charley was a good worker and he embodied the “Older Person Friendly” policies of Wal-Mart. But the trouble is, he would often show up to work five, ten, or fifteen minutes late.

One day the boss called him into the office for a chat. “Charley,” the boss said, “I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is becoming bothersome.” Charley said, “Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it.” “Well good,” replied the boss, “you are a team player; that’s what I like to hear.” “Yes sir, I understand your concern and I’ll try harder.”

The boss still was puzzled. He said, “It’s odd, though, that you come in late. I know you’re retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?” Charley looked down at the floor and then smiled. He chuckled quietly, and then said with a grin, “They usually saluted and said, ‘Good morning, Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir?” Pretty clearly, the boss new some things about his new employee, Charley, but he didn’t know the whole story.

Today begins the second in a series of summer messages titled “Mission: Possible – the M Force”. The “M” stands for mission, and the subject of the series is the mission of God which is, of course, the mission of the church. Looking over the assigned readings for Summer Sundays, the theme all but jumped off the pages of Holy Scripture!

Last Sunday, we learned that we are all recruited by Jesus Christ to be part of the “M Force” or “The Mission Force”. Our baptism has signed us up. In addition, we are equipped with the teachings of Jesus to both share and to live. The mission put forth by Jesus is not to make pronouncements but to make disciples – which is to say life-long students and followers of Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel touches on an important element of our mission that is easy to overlook. It talks about being welcomed or being received and, in turn, about being the person who welcomes and being the person who receives. The question that powerfully suggests itself is this: How well are we doing with this basic and fundamental aspect of mission? As we’ve discovered, Wal-Mart greets its customers warmly. How well is the church doing?

A website, www.evangelismcoach.org, has listed what they call “Twenty Blunders” a church can make when welcoming visitors. While I’m not going to go through the entire list, I do want you to know that churches can have the tendency to be overwhelming with their welcome or underwhelming. On the underwhelming side, one of the blunders was: “No one said ‘hello’.” Other blunders on the underwhelming side were unclean bathrooms or an unsafe nursery. Bad coffee was mentioned along with stale snacks, donuts, or cookies. Even bad breath was listed. On the overwhelming side, one of the blunders was “Swarming on visitors all at once, like flies on fresh meat.” Other blunders on the overwhelming side were “Too much enthusiasm” and “Hugs to strangers” and “Too friendly” to the point of smothering people and not respecting boundaries.

Whether overwhelming or underwhelming, bear in mind that first impressions mean a great deal. Bear in mind, also, that people visiting churches can spot phoniness a mile away. Instead of overwhelming or underwhelming, what we want is for our welcome to be genuine. The boss at Wal-Mart knew some things about his employee -- that retired military man. But he didn’t know that he was an admiral! All we might know about our visitors and guests is that they are visitors and guests. We don’t know their history, their background, their frame of mind; we don’t know about the low points in their life or their highest aspirations either. We don’t know if they’re of those strange types of Christians called Presbyterian or not! Many times we don’t even know why they are here. But, for the time being, that’s not the point at all. The point is they are here. The point is that even though we don’t know them, we do know -- as fact number one and the best fact of all -- that Christ loves them.

As we think about how we, the people of First Presbyterian Church, welcome and receive those we don’t know, I think it important to ask whether we have a sense of affiliation or a sense of ownership when it comes to this place. Let’s say that a visitor comes up to a member and asks: “Do you go to this church?” The member replies: “Yeah, I attend here.” To say that you “attend here” suggests a sense of affiliation with the church. Now, let’s say that a visitor comes up to another member and asks: “Do you go to this church?” The member replies: “Yes, this is my church.” That’s a bit more than a sense of affiliation; that suggests ownership. I would submit that a sense ownership makes a far greater and positive impression on a visitor than a sense of affiliation.

One of the great thinkers about the mission of the church in the United States was a man named Donald McGavran. He was a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. What emerged from his thought is something called “The Homogeneous Unit Principle”. The principle stated that “People like to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers.” In the end, that’s just a fancy way of saying that birds of a feather like to flock together.

While this may be true both socially and statistically, it’s horrible theology. Theologically, it stinks to high heaven! If the Homogeneous Unit Principle is what shaped and empowered our congregation’s mission, you know what we would do? We’d be targeting Caucasian, English-speaking, middle-income Americans – and that’s it. In other words, “Why don’t you become one of us because you look, speak, and spend like us!” Does anyone see how patently discriminatory that is? While people may like to join a church (or any other organization) because it is has like-minded people, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a horrible mission practice. Did God so love Caucasian, English-speaking, middle-class Americans that He gave His only-begotten Son, or did God so love the WORLD that He gave His only-begotten Son? With the love of Christ in mind, the CEO of Exxon/Mobile who just pledged ten percent of his seven figure income to a congregation is no more or less important than the young adult with disabilities. If you see the difference I’m talking about, if you get this idea, if you love Christ and know that Christ loves you, if you have a heart for the mission of the church, please see me; please talk to me.

Long, long ago, Father Abraham sat outside his tent by the great trees of Mamre. Three strangers appeared to him standing nearby. The book of Genesis says that he “…hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.” All he really knew is that he didn’t know them. But what does he do? He respects them. He goes one step further. He says: “If I have found favor in your eyes, do not pass me by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed.” Was he just being polite for the sake of being polite? Did he have some hidden agenda of trying to sign them up for his cause? Was he trying to gently push, shove, cajole, or manipulate these strangers into what he wanted them to be? No. All he did was welcome them and extend hospitality to them. If that’s the kind of church you want to be a part of, there’s room here.

The Book of Leviticus says that “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

Later on in the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” On a personal note, this short verse shamed me. The fact is that I practice exercise, golf, and piano more than hospitality. If I practiced genuine Christian hospitality ten percent as much as I practice exercise, golf, and piano, it might start a small revolution!

The New Testament book of Hebrews, likewise, offers something of a gentle reminder. It says: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Think of it! You may be entertaining angels unawares!

Finally, Jesus Himself goes so far as to say that anyone who “gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

A warm, cordial, and genuine welcome has its place in the mission of Christ. God grant us grace to extend it well and often. Amen.