The Social Church

Scanning a room, there is not a single face you recognize. People are laughing, chatting, and having a good time. It seems that everyone knows each other, and you are just another face in the crowd. Have you ever felt like this? I know I have. Moving from one state to another right before entering middle school was one of the most challenging times of my childhood. I left behind all my old friends, and was placed in a new school, surrounded by ALL new faces. While this was scary at first, I was blessed to have a few people reach out to me and spark a conversation (some of whom are still my friends today!)

Fast forward to my life now, in which I have settled into having a few very close friends. I am relatively comfortable with the relationships I have, and don’t typically put much thought into the fact that I was once without any friends. While I believe there have been numerous occasions that the Holy Spirit has challenged me to seek out the one in the crowd who looked a bit lonely, I am sad to say that more often than not, I have used my introversion and shyness as an excuse to bypass the opportunity of practicing hospitality. The truth is, introversion and shyness do not excuse me from the responsibility of making people feel welcome. In fact, the Bible is extremely clear in describing how we, as Christians, must approach others. As Hebrews 13:1-2 states, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” This is a command to all of God’s people; not just those who are “comfortable” with welcoming strangers. Therefore, we must take it seriously. In Matthew 25:43 this command is taken a step further by indicating that practicing hospitality (or choosing not to) is a direct representation of our care and love for Jesus. As Jesus states in a parable, “I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” In this passage, Jesus is stating that if we do not value His people, we are not valuing Him.

Coming to terms with the fact that it is my responsibility to practice hospitality, and that how I do so ultimately reflects how I care about God was a bit difficult for me. Nevertheless, I have reached the conclusion that if this is what God has called me to do, I need to be doing it!

This week, I made it a personal goal to get to know one person I haven’t talked to before. As socially awkward as I may be, this was not overwhelmingly difficult once I took the first step to talk to them. It was actually really refreshing to listen to someone’s story for the first time, as well as share my own. It is my hope that this is only the beginning of my efforts to practice hospitality. People help people grow, and introvert or not, community is a necessary part of life.

Church, I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone to practice hospitality. Whether that means helping someone with a project, giving someone an encouraging word, or just simply saying hello, let’s be a church that cares about people. Ultimately, a church that values people is a church that values God.

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: Brigit Edwards