Watching one of the many hospital-based programmes on TV, I was interested in one of the patients in the Accident and Emergency department. The patient’s wife shared a little of how the two had met, and in the early days of their friendship, as a Christian, she invited the young man to church, expecting him to decline. However, he agreed to come with her, subject to one condition – he didn’t have to wear a suit.
Viewers of Facebook may have seen a picture of a young woman with a very short hairstyle, tattoos over her face and arms and the caption, “Would you welcome this young lady into your church?” My immediate response was “Why not?” About 50 years ago, a youth worker was preaching at our church and posed the question, “If a young person came in, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, how would you feel?” Many of those present, many elderly, could have responded, “We already do.” That was in the days when the men attending would have been wearing suits rather than casual wear.
Recalling these events, as I type, I still feel uncertain about whether that would happen in real life. Would our internal reaction, possibly reflected in a facial expression, truly be welcoming, whatever the situation? There are numerous challenging options that we may face, so perhaps there is a need to seek God’s help to prepare us for every eventuality.
Jesus had to rebuke his disciples for turning children away, so may we never be in a situation where our reaction warrants a divine rebuke and any visitor is uncomfortable.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may our actions and reactions reflect the Lord Jesus, especially when we are confronted with challenging situations. AMEN