By Doug Creamer
Treating Others
It’s been a week since Halloween. Most people have cleaned up their decorations and we will soon be seeing Christmas decorations. One person told me that she likes to put up her Christmas decorations on Halloween night. I try to get my outside Christmas decorations up by Thanksgiving. I wait until early December to decorate inside our house.
We had a nice night for Halloween this year. We had between 50 and 60 kids at our house. It’s great as the adults walk with the kids around our neighborhood. The adults visit as they stop at each house. I love the little kids who come around. I remember how much fun I had when I was a kid and I want to provide that same environment for the kids in my neighborhood. I am not keen on older teens trick-or-treating, but I give them candy, too.
I work hard outside preparing for Halloween night. I clean up the porch, cut the grass, clean up the leaves, pull weeds, and blow off the driveway and sidewalk. I want to make the visitors feel welcome. If weather permits, I will sit on the porch and smile when I greet the kids. I try to compliment them on their costumes, but many are in a hurry to get to the next house. I remember running to houses trying to get as much candy as possible.
I wonder sometimes if we consider similar things when it comes to our churches. Do we make an effort to make our visitors feel welcome? Do we greet them at the door with a handshake and a smile? Do we speak to them or get annoyed if they sit in our seats? Is the outside of our churches welcoming and are the bathrooms clean? There is so much to think about in making a positive first impression. A number of years ago when I was looking for a new church, I found some places welcoming and others very much unwelcoming.
Jesus had a similar experience one evening when He was invited to a Pharisee’s home. He was made to feel unwelcome. There was a local sinful woman who came into the gathering and fell at Jesus’ feet. She wept and washed His feet with her tears. She wiped them off with her hair and kissed them. Then she anointed His feet with perfume. The Pharisee was appalled that Jesus would allow that woman to touch Him.
Then Jesus pointed out to the Pharisee that he failed to make Jesus feel welcome in his home. He didn’t greet Him warmly, provide water to freshen up, or anoint His head with oil. In other words, the Pharisee was rude and disrespectful to Jesus as a visitor in his home. Jesus further pointed out that the woman whom the Pharisee thought was such a terrible sinner had done more to make Jesus feel welcome than the Pharisee had. He then turns to the woman and tells her that her sins have been forgiven and that she can go in peace. What a wonderful gift!
This makes me wonder how we react to people who visit our churches. What would we do if a prostitute came to one of our churches? What about someone who uses illegal drugs? How would we react if someone had been drinking before church? I try to think about Jesus. He ate dinner with tax collectors, who were known to be dishonest. There was one instance when Jesus was eating where alcohol was served, tax collectors were present, and the Bible says that sinners were there, too. When Jesus was questioned about this He responded that He came for the sick. Do we make room for people whose lives are messy in our churches?
I want to encourage and challenge you to consider who you are making feel welcome in your church and how you make them feel welcome. The Pharisee did not make the prostitute feel welcome but Jesus forgave all her sins and sent her away in peace. There are many broken people in our communities who need the love and forgiveness of God. They can’t find what they need out in the world because the answer is Jesus. They need to come in the doors of our churches and find God’s love, mercy, and grace from you and me. It will probably take several visits before they open their hearts to receive God’s salvation. Thus will begin their spiritual journey and they will needs lots of help as they take those first steps. Can we open the doors of our churches and our hearts to welcome them just like Jesus?
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
