Welcoming Others, Welcoming Christ (Actually)

Jo Black July 02, 2026 4 1

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Matthew 10: 40-42 (NIV-UK)

40 ‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.’

At the beginning of Richard Curtis’ beloved Christmas movie Love Actually, the narrator muses that, ‘Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport”. (And yes, June is a fine time to quote Christmas movies!) He sees this place of excited interactions across ages, races and backgrounds as the ultimate example of all-encompassing love. The montage of running-into-embraces, laughter and tears certainly is compelling but how much more moving would it be if airports were places for embracing strangers rather than our self-selected favourites?

People talk about the duality of the gifts of family that you are born into and the one you choose – but what about the ones forged by faith? The people who you would never have rubbed shoulders with outside your social set, career path or generation, never mind greeted with a hug or an invitation into your home but now you sit alongside every Sunday. The ones who under ‘normal’ circumstances would remain strangers but in the context of faith become brothers and sisters in Christ.

The family of God is big and complex and varied and from 0-100+ years old and messy and sometimes smelly and socially awkward and illogically joy-filled and… united through Jesus rather than our own preferences.

I wonder how different your contact lists, diary and most-loved-folks are from your before-Jesus-life? And if not, why not? All of us yearn for more of Him, and one simple way to do so, according to this passage, is simply through the opening of our front door to those who we instinctively would have counted as ‘other’.

Could you encounter Jesus over a clashing of worlds coffee? Could you welcome the one who sent Him through a linguistically challenging lunch? Could you heed the invitation of the Spirit to trust Him when you are filling seats for dinner? Because, I’ll tell you what, to misquote Richard Curtis: Whenever I get gloomy about the state of the world I just look at the weird and wonderful church and give thanks for this family that He welcomed me, a stranger, into with open arms.

Prayer:

Lord, may I embrace the stranger seeking your love as someone you have given me love for already. May I meet you, my friend, in the shyness of new and unexpected encounters. And may we, as church, show the world what your love means, actually. Amen