“You Are Welcome Here”

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 19, 2021

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Mark 9:30-37

It seems that everyone has gotten into putting those vertical ‘welcome’ signs outside their front door. You know the ones—on the pieces of wood. I like them. They seem ‘homey’ and cozy. And I don’t want one. In part, because I don’t welcome just anyone and everyone into my home. I’m very much an introvert. I like my solitude in my home. And the welcome signs seem so generic to me. They’re cute, but not me. I’ve thought about a sign that says ‘welcome-ish,’ or ‘unwelcome.’ But that’s just mean. So I’ve never made a sign.

All that is to say that how we welcome matters. We have an inclusivity team that has discussed this very topic for over a year and a half already. They have interviewed individuals and couples from the congregation, asking you all what you think about who and how we welcome. Asking you about how you’ve been welcomed—or not welcomed. We’ve been working to develop a welcome statement that identifies specific groups that are often NOT welcomed or affirmed in worship communities. Let me read the statement to you:

Welcome to Our Saviour's Lutheran Church where we "walk with Christ and neighbor healing brokenness together."  We believe that Walking with Christ is achieved by walking with all of God’s children. Jesus erases any boundaries that divide us on our journey.  In order to bring justice to God’s beloved people, we commit to the work of racial equity, physical accessibility, gender equality, prison reform, healthcare accessibility, and economic and ecological advocacy.

We welcome all because Jesus welcomes all.

·         People who believe, doubt, and seek:  You are welcome here.

·         People who are Indigenous and People of all colors, ethnicity, and cultures. You are welcome here.

·         People who face addiction and mental illnesses: You are welcome here.

·         People who are currently or formerly incarcerated:  You are welcome here.

·         People who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, or those who still wonder who God created you to be:  You are welcome here.

·         People of all educational, occupational, and income situations.  You are welcome here.

·         People of all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes: You are welcome here.

·         People who have been unwelcomed in other communities: You are welcome here.

We strive to journey forward in love.  With YOU here, we are becoming the people whom God calls us to be.

This is what we have so far. There will come a time in the future where we’ll vote on it as a congregation.

Now, you may wonder why we need to list all of these different groups of people. Why can’t we just say that ‘All Are Welcome’ and be done with it? Well, it’s kind of like the ‘welcome’ signs in front of the doors. Everyone says, ‘all are welcome,’ but people have often discovered that when they go inside, they are most certainly not welcome. The sign might say it, but the people’s words and body language say something else. And those who have been unwelcome have grown wary of ‘welcome’ signs. “You might say it, but how do we know you mean it?”

Today’s gospel passage takes place just after Jesus’ Transfiguration. He and three disciples went to the top of the mountain where Moses and Elijah were revealed, and Jesus glows in power. God’s voice tells the disciples to listen to him. When they reach the bottom of the mountain, they discover the rest of the disciples struggling to heal a boy possessed by demons. And Jesus is frustrated by the attempt. So, he takes care of the boy, and off they go.

As they go on their way, Jesus tells them for the 2nd time what to expect from the Messiah—the struggle, betrayal, and death, as well as the resurrection. And they still don’t understand, but they’re afraid to ask him about it. They don’t want to be vulnerable. In fact, as they walk, the disciples get into a discussion about power and greatness. What is greatness? Who is greatest?

Again, when Jesus asks them about their conversation, they’re afraid to say anything. They don’t want to seem vulnerable. Weak. They want to be great—they’re just not sure how to pull it off. They want to be powerful—but it seems to allude them. They want to be warriors and winners—but they’re just a motley crew of believers pretending.

So Jesus sits them down and places a child in their midst. It’s hard for us to understand how different our view of children is now from how they viewed them in the day. Children were free labor. Assistants. Servants. Slaves. Commodities. Nobodies. They were—and are—also quite vulnerable. Vulnerable to diseases. Vulnerable to society. At the mercy of any and all who are older, bigger, and stronger.

Jesus takes this child and says, “Anyone who welcomes (or ‘holds’) one who is vulnerable holds me. They hold the one who sent me.” Basically, Jesus is saying, ‘If you’re looking for greatness, don’t look up. Look down. If you’re looking for God, don’t look up. Look down.’

Much like last week, Jesus turns expectations upside down. Where the disciples want victory, Jesus points to death. Where the disciples want greatness, Jesus points to weakness. Where the disciples want war, Jesus points to the cross. Where we want perfection and righteousness and glory and obedience, Jesus points to all those the Church has labeled as ‘less than.’ These are the ones we must look to when we want to see the face of God.

And I get it. The disciples are human. They, like us, are uncomfortable with weakness. Especially when they encounter weakness in someone they expect to be strong. They want mighty, and they get meek. They want to hold to a grand and powerful God, and they get some guy who is willing to be spat on and defiled and murdered. They want a king, and Jesus turns to a child. We want to welcome dignitaries and people who can help build the church and the ministries—and instead we are called to welcome those who may have nothing tangible to offer. Those who are often considered a ‘drain on the system’—a system built by the powerful for the powerful.

But the truth is, it’s the ones who are weak who best represent God’s heart. It’s the ones who have been rejected who show the world WHO God truly is. It’s the ones who have been denied who bring us close to heaven. We should clamber to be in their presence. Or, perhaps, you…we…are those people, at times. Perhaps you are the one who has been at the mercy of those who are bigger, older, or stronger—those with power to keep you down. Perhaps you are the one who has been rejected by the Church and scorned by your family. Perhaps you have been told that God cannot love you because of who you are or what you’ve done, who you love or what has been done to you. Perhaps you feel as if you have nothing to offer this world.

You—YOU—are the face of God. You, in your weakness, in your vulnerability, are God’s chosen and beloved. You are not only welcome in God’s kin-dom and in this church. You are necessary. You are the heart of God’s people. Until we recognize and honor that simple fact, we will struggle with each other and argue over ungodly things and destroy the Church that God has called us to be. But when we finally let go of our desire to be great—when we find ourselves at the foot of Christ’s cross without anger or resentment or envy—when we look down in search for God instead of up—that’s when we will finally know and experience God’s kin-dom in our midst. In our hearts. In our Church—where All are welcome, and ‘all’ means YOU.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE