January 24 – Friendly?
By Audrey Bauman
Romans 12: 13 (NLT)
“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
Here is the 4th challenge to Christ followers – the necessity of reaching out to people within the body of Christ. Paul actually covers two ways we can reach out to other Christians. We can help them when they are in need, and we can just be plain friendly and hospitable. You really shouldn’t find lonely people in a church.
Many churches have a fund to help people who are struggling financially. For example, LSA takes up a special offering on communion Sundays to add to that fund. Many churches also reach out to the community around them with special projects. For example, this past Christmas, LSA collected home and food items under the tree in our foyer for Matthew House, an organization that helps immigrants. We also took up a collection on Christmas Eve for 2 organizations that help people who are struggling and often homeless. All those things are excellent, but Paul is stressing that we need to help God’s people. He’ll deal with the rest of the community later.
“People in need” don’t always mean people who need financial help. People who face health issues might need someone to help them with everyday chores around the house. People who have lost a loved one might need others to just be there so they can grieve with friends and not alone. Older people might love someone to help them do those more difficult chores like cutting grass – things that help them stay in their homes. A young mom might like someone who will help with the baby and toddlers so she can go out, or get some sleep. Not everyone has family living nearby as our economy sends us looking for jobs all over the country and all over the world. When we belong to a church family, help shouldn’t be hard to find. Unfortunately, many people show up for a Sunday service, leave shortly after and never see anyone else from the church until the next Sunday. Would anyone even know if they needed some kind of help? Perhaps someone should stop them on their exit flight, and say hello. Or if you are that person who tends to run out the door, I’d encourage you to be proactive: stay and have a coffee on a Sunday morning; come to the monthly Men's Breakfast or the Women's Morning Tea; come to the Scottish Dance tomorrow night at 6 pm.
That takes me to the next part of the verse. “Always be eager to practice hospitality.” This part of the verse hits me in two ways. First, I’ve never lived near my extended family since I left home for university. Finding friends who I could get close to has always been a priority for me, something I’ve aggressively chased down. When mom and dad live 5 hours away, they can’t come running for everyday things – no free babysitting, no taking me out for lunch during the week, etc.
But, it also hits me because I need to be more hospitable to others. You’d think I would be since I know what it is like to feel alone in a community. It’s so easy to just stay in a routine with the people I know. I often think about inviting someone over, but it usually remains a thought, not an action.
When I read this verse (“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”), I need to take it personally and do something about it. When we hear about a specific need at LSA, our church usually contributes generously. That’s good, but it’s also done at a distance and hasn’t required much sacrifice on my individual part. I’ll have to admit over the years my husband has been the one to help people in need. If he heard about someone who needed something done around the house, he’d be the first person to volunteer. He was not a big extrovert, but he was always the one to introduce himself to someone new and strike up a conversation. Being the introvert that I am, I tend to shy away from people, afraid to butt in where maybe I’m not needed. But really - that’s no excuse.
The funny thing is that when I’ve got up my courage and spoken to someone I don’t know, it has always resulted in something good. You’d think I’d do it all the time. I’ll sit in church and look at someone I don’t know for weeks, thinking I probably should talk to them. So while I’m challenging you, I want you to challenge me. Ask me at our next service if I talked to anyone I didn’t know. Maybe if I think someone will hold me accountable, I’ll summon up the courage to actually do something.
Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13: 34 – 35 NLT) This caring for one another within the body of Christ is sooo… important. It is the biggest declaration to the world around us that God makes a difference in our lives – a positive and desirable difference. Instead of thinking we are all somewhat crazy, they will want to be with us. So start thinking today how you can show love and hospitality to another Christian.
Our song for today is Love People by Chris Tomlin.