The Benedictine monks prioritized the practice of hospitality. In centuries past Benedictine monks welcome travelers, no matter who they were. The traveler would enter the monastery. The abbot himself would wash their feet. No questions were asked of the travelers until their feet had been washed and they had been fed a meal. There was no distinction. There was always radical welcome.
I read a contemporary Egyptian monk recently, who said: we always treat guests as angels – just in case.
Let’s consider with great seriousness how we can be a community that offers the radical welcome of Christ. Let’s consider how every person can who enters our building on a Sunday can find community. Let’s consider the kind of people Jesus requires us to be. What attitude should we come to ‘church’ with Sunday morning? What attitude should we carry with us every day of the week?