All are welcome

 ‘…Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.. (Matthew 10:40)

Matthew 10:40-42 (Year A: Trinity+2)

‘All are welcome’ is a common enough sign outside Church buildings and on public notices about church services. But are all welcome in practice?

The declaration that ‘anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me’ follows verses about discipleship in which the initial twelve disciples are called to follow Jesus and proclaim the kingdom of God.  The realities of leaving home, family and community and facing opposition and great danger are spelt out. Typically, the call to welcome those sent in this way is seen and interpreted – narrowly perhaps – as a call to respect, listen to and welcome the message of the pastor/priest/minister/preacher/evangelist sent specially in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But, there is another possible meaning to these words that complements the traditional one: the Holy Spirit is everywhere. She moves through all sorts of situations, people, events and relationships.  It is true that every person you or I meet carries something unique, something special, something non-repeatable. This ‘non-repeatability’ is a reflection of the light that is the Holy Spirit. Put another way, this means that every human being has something to teach me from their experience, perspective and life story so far.

Welcoming others and especially those different to me or us by virtue of tribal identity, politics, language, age, social class, religion, sexual orientation or any other badge that we place on ourselves or others is a challenging call. We fear this welcome because, perhaps, we are not entirely sure or comfortable in our self-imposed or other-imposed identity. Or, perhaps, we think that we might be swayed or undermined if we listen too much to another. We feel that we must hold on to our supposed and other-excluding precious thoughts, practices and beliefs lest we be contaminated or given up to doubt, confusion and drift.

The mystery is that in welcoming others who are different we are welcoming the One who welcomed us in the first place. We welcome because we were welcomed in the first place as we were and as we are. We should never forget that.