“And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you? …‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:38, 40)
Have you ever been a stranger? Have you ever welcomed a stranger? Jesus equates the way we treat strangers to our relationship with Him, and it is not just strangers but the least of strangers.
The new TV show “Undercover Boss” shows the boss taking on a job in the lower echelons of the company in order to find out how to be a better manager. As the TV audience we are privy to the boss’s thoughts while we see video of employees working or training this strange new employee. Predictably the fellow employees say things and treat the boss in ways they would not if they knew the identity of their stranger.
At the end of the show the employees are called into the main office and the boss reveals the true identity of the stranger. The employees are rewarded for their good work and shown appreciation for their humanity. Rarely an employee is corrected for their bad behavior, at least on TV, but it does happen.
Jesus is undercover everyday. He came into the world as a baby too poor for a crib. Chased out of his own town he continued to be a stranger without a place to lay his head. We should not be surprised when he says how we treat the least of his family is how we treat him. He continues to reveal his love and grace among the poor and the stranger. How is that love revealed through you? How does it show through our church family?
Radical hospitality is not based on ourselves but on the person of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ it is the life God calls out of us. We all know what it is like to be a stranger, let that lead us into how we treat the stranger in our midst.
See you in worship.
Danny Wayman
