You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
In my travels of Australia I have visited a number of Uniting Churches for a time of worship with the local members of that congregation. At the Swan Hill Uniting Church in Victoria I seem to be reasonably well known. This group welcome me and know some of my background – my work at Winton, having a dog with me, that I am a Lay Preacher and that I am part of the Presbytery of Tasmania. However for the many other churches I have visited I am simply a visitor by the name of Shirley. They may hear some of my story but are rarely told of what I do within my local church or with the Presbytery of Tasmania.
I sometimes wonder if their welcome would be different if they knew more about my background. Would there be more discussions about differences between the Presbyteries and how each is going? Would there be discussions about the coming Synod and the topics for discussion at that meeting? Would there be discussions about how much work Lay Preachers do?
I enjoy the experience of simply being able to worship with a group of Christian people in another community without the discussions and questions. It is different from the usual for me and allows me to simply be welcomed and part of the congregation for the morning.
This idea of not knowing when the Son of Man will come and then it will be unexpected is something that we need to be aware of. We do not always know who is visiting our congregation for worship. It may be the Son of Man or maybe a new person in the area looking for a church to worship in or a person simply passing through. It is by welcoming each person no matter what their appearances might be or what story they might tell that we are welcoming God into the worship space that morning.
PRAYER: God, we are told that the Son of Man may come at any time. Let us always be ready to experience the coming of the Son of Man. Let us welcome each person that we meet no matter if they are known or unknown to us because they may be the Son of Man coming among us. Amen.
Shirley Bowers
Lay Preacher