The Sacramental Welcoming (Mark 9:37)

Today’s gospel reading is straightforward. Jesus is talking about radical hospitality. I know for many of us, it’s something difficult to achieve, especially when we hear the news. How discouraging the world could be in this time and age? Don’t you think?

We hear Jesus [saying], "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”  

I cannot imagine my life, as it is now, without Christ; however I remember a time when it was difficult for me to go to church. My mother and father were not going, and my great-grand mother had to twist my arm to go to church.  I did not appreciate my Great-grand mother’s commitment and sacrifices until later on.

She changed her visitors (family and friends) schedules, so we could enjoy attending church together. I call this, “radical”. 

What do we have to do to make that radical change in our lives? How do we welcome Christ in our lives?

It’s simple. I shared with you my story when I came to the U.S.  and one of the places where I felt most welcomed was church. If I recall…later on…the way I introduced church to people …was My Church...Church for me was the place where I found people I could trust…and friendships that last until now…

At the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus is sending his disciples out. He is giving them "authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness". Jesus instructs the twelve to "go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" and to "proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons."

The disciples are to act as envoys of Jesus, extending his ministry, proclaiming the same good news and performing the same works of healing that he is doing. Jesus' further instructions make clear that the disciples are also to share in his poverty and homelessness, taking with them no money or extra clothing, and depending solely on the hospitality of others for shelter.

Additionally, Jesus warns his disciples that they will not be welcomed everywhere, and they can expect to experience the same hostility Jesus often does. What does this chapter of Jesus’ disciples has to do with you and me? What is relevant about “the sending forth” of the disciples? In this case, the hospitality or lack of hospitality the disciples will experience? Why is connected to you and me?

The author of Matthew is not only recalling Jesus' instructions to his original disciples; he is also speaking to this community of disciples today. There is still need to “send out” laborers into the harvest and missionaries into a broken world. And those who are sent depend upon the hospitality of others. Jesus says, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me".

In the ancient world identity was tied to family and community. It was understood that in “showing hospitality”-- one person was welcomed not just as an individual, but as a member of the community that sent that specific person and all that he or she represented. Welcoming a disciple of Jesus would mean receiving the very presence of Jesus himself and of the one who sent him, God the Father.

This is the heart of the radical hospitality we are talking about today. Every Sunday when we are sent forth to the world is not about you and me as individuals but as members of Christ’s body. That’s a beautiful responsibility and a duty as Christians.

Perhaps…we are wondering that not all of “us” are sent to be missionaries, depending on others for shelter and sustenance, but that doesn't mean we are off the hook. The entire baptized members are sent into the world to tell and embody the good news of Jesus Christ. All are sent to bear Christ to others with humility and vulnerability, being willing to risk rejection.

What would happen if we stopped expecting people to come on their own initiative through our church doors, and instead took seriously our calling to bring the gospel to them? What would happen if we truly believed that we bear the presence of Christ to every person we encounter, in every home, workplace, or neighborhood we enter? What would happen if we saw every conversation as an opportunity to speak words of grace, every interaction as an opportunity to embody Christ's love for the neighbor?

I remember Diane preaching on a tattoo girl she run into in the grocery store. The tattoo girl was the only one who approached a homeless woman people ignored while passing in front of her. The tattoo girl was the only who reached out to the homeless woman with a cup of coffee and something to eat. From the distance Diane noticed the interaction and smiles between these two women and the positive outcome of this story.

We may not always receive such a positive response when we take the risk of reaching out, yet we may be surprised at how ready many are to receive our most humble efforts. Lest we forget what we have to offer, we have Jesus' promise: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me."
Preached at St. John's Huntington, Sunday, June 26th-- 3rd Sunday After Pentecost