The Religion of the Open Door

Hebrews 13:1-2 says, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it." I have always been intrigued by this text. To think that heavenly beings would mingle among us sparks a number of possibilities in our imagination. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews is remembering the encounter Abraham and Sarah had with the messengers of God Abraham welcomed to dine with him, who later shared the news that he and Sarah would have a son in their old age. His invitation had made welcome these strangers.

William Barclay writes, "Christianity was, and still should be, the religion of the open door." In a time when the talk of walls and other means of exclusion seem to dominate our conversations, we would do well to remember Barclay's words and these of the writer of Hebrews. God's persistent love isn't defeated by the barriers we often erect in our own lives. "While we were yet sinners," Paul writes, "Christ died for us." It would seem that the welcoming arms of God, made manifest in the incarnate Christ, should serve to remind us of the need and value of every human heart.

Perhaps the words of this text from Hebrews 13 call us to view our world with different eyes, to look for God in the stranger who comes among us. We have been blessed this week to welcome "strangers" who have come among us. Our hypothermia guests have found shelter, nourishment, and rest within the walls of our church building. In their uncertain world, we and other churches are providing a haven of welcome...hospitality in an often inhospitable world. If we are to believe the words of Jesus, when offering this hospitality to strangers, we are truly offering it to him. In the context of judgment in Matthew 25, Jesus says the King will welcome those who have welcomed and cared for persons whose lives have been shaken by the burdens and hardships of life. "I tell you the truth," the King says, "when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."

I believe I have seen and heard Christ during this week of hypothermia at Westwood, finding him in the faces and stories of these "strangers" we have welcomed among us. In honoring the word of Christ by opening our doors and hearts, we have welcomed God among us, seeing the Divine as strangers have become friends. Christianity is, as Barclay asserts, "the religion of the open door." May we continue to hold open that door for all who come.

I look forward to welcoming you and sharing from God's word as we gather for worship this Sunday. I will be preaching from Micah 6:1-8 on the topic, "A Simple Prescription." Take a moment to read this powerful text and come expectantly as we worship together this Sunday, and yes, why not invite someone to join you.

Jim Abernathy