CONNECT DEVOTIONAL- HOW CAN I HELP MY CHURCH BE MORE WELCOMING?

In all of our CONNECT groups this month, we looked at Luke 19:1-10. In this passage, we're introduced to a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who had become very rich. He was also someone who wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds that were surrounding him. So, Zacchaeus decided to climb a tree and wait for Jesus to pass his way. The Bible tells us that when Jesus came by, he looked up and called Zacchaeus by name, inviting himself over to his house (I love the brashness of this!). 

Verse 6 says, "Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy", however some people grumbled and complained because Jesus was hanging out with someone who was considered a "notorious sinner". The thing that happened next is quite surprising. Zacchaeus told Jesus that he would give half of his wealth to the poor and for those he had cheated on their taxes, he would pay them back four times the amount he had taken! Jesus then announces that salvation had come to Zacchaeus' house!

Jesus does something incredible simple here. He called Zacchaeus by name and he expressed a desire to hang out with him. That's it. Because of something so simple, Zacchaeus accepted God's love and forgiveness and was inspired to change his whole life! 

We all want to be accepted. Most of us will choose a church community based on how welcome we feel and how positive the experience is. While Jesus did something very simple in this passage, for a lot of us, extending friendship to others is a lot easier said than done. It's not something that comes naturally to everyone. In fact, there are a number of reasons why we naturally DON'T want to help our church be more welcoming (even if we might not admit it). There are a number of things that dissuade us from being friendly and welcoming to those we don't know (or don't know that well):

• You're an introvert. It's hard for you to talk to others.
• You've got social anxiety, so it creates a lot of stress and discomfort.
• You're not a great conversationalist. The idea of making small talk might be terrifying. What do you do if there's a lull in the conversation?
• It's safer to stick to your own circle of friends. Because it's easier to talk to people you already know, you tend to naturally gravitate towards those same people. The downside to this is you might form a clique where people outside your group don't feel welcome or accepted.
• You just don't want to.
• You've met the person before but can't remember their name.
• You're selfish. You don't care if others get connected or feel welcome.
• Fear of rejection. How might they respond?
• Low self-esteem or other insecurities. You might feel that nobody would want to talk to you.
• Fear of the unknown.
• You assume that somebody else will do it. The problem with this is that others might be thinking the same thing and the person ends up falling through the cracks.
• The person seems to want to keep to themselves or appears antisocial.
• You're super popular. You might have a lot of people gathering around you to talk to you and you don't want to be rude and leave them to say hi to someone else.
• You always sit in the same spot at church or you're at the opposite end of the room, so there's no opportunity.
• You don't want to scare people away from church because of an awkward/bad conversation.
• You're too busy. Sometimes you just want to get from point A to point B and so you never allow an opportunity to stop and engage with someone else. You can even be busy doing really good or important things.
• They might look strange/odd. Perhaps they even have a disability and you're not sure how to talk to someone who is different?

There are a lot of reasons why we might not be as friendly and welcoming to others as we could be. In this Bible passage, Jesus was the popular one. He was surrounded by huge crowds who wanted his attention. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus was on the outside, and was a little odd. After all, he was a grown man sitting in a tree. Nowadays, you might call 911 or cross to the other side of the street if you noticed a businessman sitting in a tree! Zacchaeus was also hated by a lot of the Jewish people because he would take taxes from them and give it to the Roman government (their oppressors). He was also regarded as a thief because tax collectors would often over-charge people to take some of their money for themselves. Because of these things, Zacchaeus was considered a big-time sinner, and even the religious leaders told people to stay away from people like him. 

There were a lot of reasons why Jesus COULD have passed Zacchaeus by without noticing or acknowledging him. Jesus was surrounded by other people who wanted his time and attention, and Jesus was busy healing the sick and teaching people about God. But here, we find Jesus noticing the person who was on the outside and taking a simple step of friendship that ended up changing this guy's life and heart!

This passage really challenges us to get over our legit fears, to get over that feeling of discomfort we all feel for a variety of reasons, and to do what we can to be friendly and welcoming to people who might be new to our church or feel like they're on the outside.

None of us want to see people fall through the cracks. We don't want anyone to leave our church feeling that it's full of cliques or that nobody would miss them if they never returned. Taking that step to extend friendship might make somebody feel welcomed and at home in our church! It might open up an opportunity for them to learn and grow deeper in their faith! It might contribute to a greater feeling of community and belonging!

4 TIPS ON HOW TO HELP OUR CHURCH BE MORE WELCOMING: 

Here are just a few tips that can spur us on towards being Jesus to the Zacchaeus' around us.

1. NOTICE PEOPLE

Jesus noticed Zacchaeus WHEN HE WAS IN A TREE! He probably would have been awesome at games like ‘Where’s Waldo’! When you’re at church or at a church event, look for people you don’t know, watch for people who might be alone, keep your eyes open for people who might be new. Jesus was surrounded by crowds who wanted his attention, and yet Jesus noticed the man who was sitting in a tree.

2. PUSH PAST THE FEAR

I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but you can try to find ways to make this easier for you. Try jotting down people's names when you meet them so that you can remember them. Think ahead of some conversation starters/ice-breakers. Take someone else along with you to say hi to someone. Serve in an area of the church that creates opportunities for you to be friendly and welcoming to new people. If you've met someone a couple of times and see them again, invite them to sit with you! Instead of having to carry the conversation on your own, bring that person and introduce them to others you know!

3. ASK GOD TO HELP YOU.

Tell God that you’re WILLING to be friendly and welcoming to others and ask God to open up doors of opportunity for you to do that! Praying this way means that you're being strategic and intentional. You're telling God that you've made yourself available and you'll be more focused on looking for new people to welcome.

4. THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES!

When you’re tempted to chicken out, think about what it’s like when you're in a new place and don’t really know anybody. How much you would love for someone to say hi and introduce you to their circle of friends? How much would you love for someone to ask you to sit with them? Think about how because Jesus simply noticed and extending friendship to Zacchaeus, his whole life was changed! You never know how God could use you! On the other hand, if someone is ignored and leaves feeling that nobody would miss them, then we're falling short in our mission to love God and others.