The gift of welcome

Background passage: Genesis 12:1-4

Daily reading: Matthew 9:9-13

Thursday October 1, 2015

Focus passage: As Jesus continued on from here, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. He said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.  Matthew 9:9

Think of a time when you were an outsider.

Maybe it was the first Sunday at a new church, or on the first day of a job, or when you walked into a room and noticed that everyone else spoke a different language than you do.

Being the outsider can be a jarring experience.

Comfort and control are quickly thrown out of the window when you are an outsider.

In this passage Jesus goes to Matthew, a tax collector and invites him in.

If you have ever been welcomed in you realize that you never really lose who you were before you were welcomed in.  In other words we keep a part of our identity even if it is different from the groups.

As followers of Christ we are to be ever mindful of welcoming others in, even those who are very different from us.

Prayer: God help me to begin from a place of deep gratitude.   May that gratefulness permeate me and fill me to the brim so I am overflowing with joy.  Amen.