Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:46)
When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:15)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.(Hebrews 13:2)
There is a clear pattern in the New Testament communities that emerged in response to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. When they are at their best they are invitational and welcoming. There is an openness to new people and a desire to make them feel like they should be here.
There is a strong movement pushing against kindness in our culture today. People are more likely to define themselves by who is and who is not welcome than at any time in the last fifty years. Movements actually exist to discourage people from including others – even in groups that they aren’t a part of. And the backlash in policies against diversity, inclusion and equity are prime examples of people wanting to put up notices, “Not everyone is welcome here!”
Contrast this with the spirit that we see in the Bible. In the John text above, Nathanael already assumes that if Jesus is from Nazareth then he can’t amount to much. But Philip says “Come and see,” anyway and Nathanael finds himself welcomed and intrigued by Jesus. In the Acts 16 text, a woman named Lydia finds Paul’s message to be life-giving and her whole household is baptized. The first thing she does is invites Paul to stay with her for a while. And by the time the book of Hebrews is written (a later New Testament book) the author reminds the readers that when we are welcoming, we are doing holy work, for the divine makes itself present in the midst of ordinary life and people – never miss the chance to be a good and welcoming host! It is God who will be your guest!
“Inviting and welcoming new people into Christian community” is our guiding principle as a faith community. As you can see from the Bible verses above, it didn’t come out of nowhere. The Bible has dozens more passages that say the same thing – God’s people are invitational and welcoming.
The world today is filled with people who are hungry for community, spiritually open and even curious, and just waiting for someone to invite them in. Zion is the kind of place where we can invite people to experience community, explore meeting the God who has come to us in Jesus, and feel safe and welcomed. So “come and see” are simple but powerful words. And if people come and feel cared for and as they explore the invitation, it can give the Holy Spirit the space needed for faith to take root. Invitations and welcome can change a life!
