Expecting Company

Our friends Tom and Holly and their four kids came to visit us from out of town this week. When they arrived, their four-year-old son, Matthew, was the first to the door. He said "Welcome!" as we opened the door, and Matthew came in, ran right past us, went through the kitchen, exited out the back door, and flew into the backyard where he came to a screeching halt. He looked straight ahead. Then he looked to his left. And finally, he looked to his right. Then, with an expression of extreme confusion he ran back into the house and asked my wife, Susan, "Where's your swing set?!!"        She tried to explain to him that we don't have any kids at our house, so we don't need a swing set. But that didn't make any sense to Matthew… there were kids at our house… he was there! We could see on his face that Matthew was quickly forming an opinion that our house was not a place that he really wanted to be at all that much. Luckily, we pulled out the box of toys that we keep stashed in the basement for just this kind of situation and Matthew began to warm up to us again, but things were pretty dicey for a few minutes.        We set up our homes in order to meet our own needs. But we also set them up in order to receive company. We organize guest rooms, we buy big dining room tables, and we add spare bathrooms. Retired people put a swing set in the back yard and basketball hoop in the driveway for when the grandkids come over. Our homes are there not only to meet our own needs, but the needs of those who come to join us.        And it's the same for churches, too. It's important for our church building to meet our needs, but it's also important that we're set up to receive and meet the needs of people who will come join us. As the Body of Christ, whose mission it is to welcome and invite others to experience the love of Jesus with us, we should always be expecting company. And expecting company means having the things on hand that they'll need while they're with us. If we don't, like Matthew, they'll wonder if this is really the place they want to be.        So, as we move forward and begin putting together a plan for building, it's important that we think not only of our own needs, but also of the needs of those yet to come. What do little boys, like Matthew, need to feel at home at Burke? What do older people with limited mobility need? What about teenagers? Or parents with little babies? Now is the time to prepare our church home, so that when company does come we can say, "Welcome!", and show them that we really mean it.

Peace,

Pastor Russ burkelutheranweb@tds.net

Not for Publication