SUNDAY SERMON: Inviting or Welcoming?

By Rev. Stephen Baldwin 

OT: Jeremiah 2.4-13

NT: Luke 14.1, 7-14

There’s a difference between being invited and being welcomed. Once when I was in the Senate, I worked with a family to get a bridge named after their loved one, which is harder than you might imagine and than it ought to be. It took us a couple of years to get that one done. 

Lo and behold, the same year we finally got everyone to agree to it, a Charleston delegate also worked to get that same bridge named after someone else. So we had a problem. 

I fought for my local family–and fought hard because they all lived around here and would see that sign every single day. He fought for  his family–and fought hard because they wanted to drive by the sign when they came from Texas to West Virginia for their family reunion once a year (seriously). In the end, we eventually found a bridge each of them could be named for. 

When the time came to dedicate the bridge, the other guy’s family from Texas invited me to attend. They printed up invitations, set out balloons and chairs, and even had the sheriff there to block traffic. It was a big to-do. 

I walked over to meet the family, who had originally wanted a different bridge named after their loved one, and told them I was sorry about the mix-up but glad it had all worked out. 

They glared at me, turned up their nose, and walked away. There’s a difference between being invited and being welcomed. They invited me, but they didn’t welcome me. I’m sure you know the feeling. 

Sometimes it’s the opposite at churches. We welcome everyone. We invite the whole town to church every Sunday. We invite everyone to a free meal once a month. We invite the whole county to our picnics. Anyone is welcome to show up. But we don’t often reach out and invite specific people. There’s a difference between being welcoming and being inviting. It’s a matter of hospitality. 

Jesus goes to great lengths to teach his followers what it means to be hospitable in Luke’s reading today.  He and a group of his guests are eating a meal at the house of a Pharisee.  The guests all fight over the best seats, wanting to be in places of honor near the host where they will be noticed.  Jesus noticed, and he didn’t approve.   He said, “Don’t take the best seats in the house to make people think you are more important than you actually are.  Because, if your host has to ask you to move, you’re going to look like a fool.  Instead, sit in the worst seats, out of humility, and if your host gives you a better seat then so be it.”  

But he wasn’t done yet.  He spoke his mind to the host as well.  He said, “Don’t invite someone over to your place just because you want something from them.  Invite someone who needs what you have to offer.”  

No one is offended.  No one leaves.  No one criticizes him.  They take his advice about practicing hospitality.  He taught the people to be more than welcoming; he taught them to be inviting.  Don’t just welcome your friends over, he said.  Invite those who need what you have.  Go out, find them, and bring them inside.  

That made me think about the church today.  What does hospitality mean for us? Is it about being welcoming or being invited? I think it’s about both. 

I remember the first time I attended church at Clifton Presbyterian as a teenager. My family and I were looking for a church home, and we were invited to try Clifton. Once we arrived at Clifton, we were welcomed with a warm smile and genuine interest by Elizabeth Ayscue. We were invited and welcomed, and we’ve been connected ever since.  

And I remember my first Sunday in the pulpit at Ronceverte. Betty, Sarah Bethel, and Bobbie Reed greeted me with open arms, a great big hug, and Sara even gave me a kiss on the cheek. They made me feel like I belonged, and that is the power of being inviting and welcoming. That is hospitality. 

Was there someone special in your life at church or at school or in your family that always practiced hospitality and made you feel welcomed? It makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it? 

Jesus teaches us to be that person who is inviting and welcoming those in need. Don’t settle down into the best seats. Get out there and bring in a crowd who needs to be inside, and then give them the best seat when you sit down with them.

We have several special events coming up soon–worship at the river, picnic in the park, Scottish Communion Sunday. These are all great opportunities for us to be inviting and welcoming, just as Jesus taught us. It might require us to go out of our comfort zones a little bit, but remember…you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Amen.