The Power of Being Welcomed
We can all remember times where we went somewhere new or to an event and felt incredibly awkward. The thought of walking into a new place full of people that you don’t know can be terrifying. Those moments where we felt either completely out of place, unwelcome, or alone can make lasting impressions.
I vividly remember a time when I was in that situation. I had recently graduated college and was in the early stages of a job search. I was in a place in my life where I was not living as a disciple of Jesus and thoughts of life in the “real world” were beginning to weigh on me. A friend invited me to a meet and greet for business professionals at a local business. My hope was to make some connections that would lead to a job opportunity so that I could stay in the place I went to school. My aspirations at that point in life were simply to keep the party going.
I recall walking through the doors and feeling the urge to bolt through the exit within minutes. Everyone seemed so polished and professional. They were people who I saw as “having their life together.” They had their own business professional language, attire, and business cards which everyone seemed to have an endless supply of. I did a quick mental inventory of my life and I was discouraged immediately. I did not feel I had the skills to survive in this world. Sorry, but this story didn’t end with me mustering up a lot of courage, collecting stacks of business cards, and talking my way into a job opportunity. It actually ended with me very strategically locating hiding places over the course of the event until it was time to leave and I could then breathe an extended sigh of relief.
As I think back on that moment, I am filled with thanksgiving. I am not the same person I was then. There’s still much room for growth, but what’s different is the assurance I now possess that I am welcomed, and that I belong. This assurance didn’t come through my own efforts of striving to become the person I thought I had to be at that meet and greet. It came from encountering the love of God in the good news of Jesus. I was transformed by being welcomed, welcomed into God’s family. I wasn’t welcomed because of my own achievements, and I wasn’t excluded because of my many sins, flaws, and failures. I was welcomed because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. His work, not mine. It was this knowledge of His love that gave birth to faith in Him and began the ongoing process of daily learning to trust Him and turn away from trusting in myself, other people, and things.
As I think about His grace and the beauty of the gospel, I am reminded of the power of being welcomed. The greatest welcome one can receive is the welcome into God’s family through faith in Jesus. When we apply this to our calling as the church, we know that as God’s children the welcome we have received in Christ should lead us to be a welcoming people. When we gather together, we have the opportunity to welcome others and point them to God’s lavish welcome of the sinful and undeserving made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We have the opportunity when we as a church embrace our identity as family, to give others a glimpse of the freedom and joy that comes from being brothers and sisters in Christ, who are accepted and get to address God as Father. We have the opportunity to display and proclaim to others that our sufficiency is not in ourselves but in God and our identity doesn’t rest in what we’ve accomplished, the job we have, or the stuff we own. At New City I’ve been so encouraged to see time and time again the fruit of being a welcoming church. I witness this weekly, as our Connect Team serves during both services and greets all who come with a warm welcome and a cup of coffee. It brings me joy to hear testimonies of the impact that has on visitors. All the glory belongs to God, all our attempts at welcoming and hospitality are only possible through His welcome of us in Christ.