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September 16, 2007

Rev. Scott Swanson

16th after Pentecost - Romans 15:7

Well, we wanted to make "welcome" the theme of our service today for a few reasons. Today is the beginning of our new programme year, and the day when we officially welcome each other back. With holidays and the like some of us may have missed seeing each other for a while. So as everyone gathers together again, we're going to celebrate with a special service, and lunch afterward.

We also want to focus on welcome because the leaders of the congregation have decided that welcome and hospitality is an area we will focus on this year. The Board has asked me to make hospitality and welcome the focus of my work here over the next year.

A group of people went to a training event last spring that is part of the national church's Emerging Spirit campaign, which focuses on welcoming people between the ages of 30 and 45, and they are full of ideas and energy and enthusiasm they want to share with you. We'll be hearing more about that a little later.

Langley United does a pretty good job of helping people to feel welcome here. It is one of our gifts. This year we're hoping to become even better welcomers.

So there's this verse in Romans where Paul says: "Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."

When I read or hear that, one of the first things I think about is that the first thing that happens is that I have been welcomed by Christ. Let's think together for a few minutes about our experiences of welcoming and being welcomed.

    1) How do you know when you are welcome somewhere?
    2) How do you prepare to welcome others? How do we make others feel welcome?
    3) I wonder how God feels when we welcome everyone into this place?

This year the church Board has asked me to help make welcoming a focus of our life and work together. And there are a number of people who are going to help with this, so that together we can practice and become the best welcomers we can be. Just as we are all here because we have been welcomed by Christ, so we want to welcome others, so that they will hopefully experience Christ's welcome to them through us.

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