Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. – Romans 15:7
I can remember spending spring break holidays at the family farm with my grandparents. On the weekends, a treat for us kids was going out to eat followed by stopping at someone’s house for dessert, cards, and conversation. It was always a spontaneous drop-in.
We would drive around a little bit (long before the days of cell phones and texting) to see who was entertaining. The first clue we looked for were the vehicles in the driveway to see if folks were home and if they already had guests. The second signal was if the porch light was on.
That porch light was the small-town welcome sign. If the light is on, all are welcome, stop on by, come on in. It was like those old Motel 6 commercials, “We’ll leave a light on for you, except when we are closed.”
This Sunday was our third installment into our series, “We Call Ourselves Disciples.” We focused our attention this week on our sense of welcome. We claim an open table, to which all are welcome. Showing a wide-open hospitality is a trait the (Disciples of Christ) pride ourselves on.
Romans 15:4-13 reminds us to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with what Christ Jesus would express. So, with that in mind, we can see that the guest list is quite long. We explore together the ways we leave the porch light on, and who it is we welcome.