Length: 10-20 mins

Talk about how welcoming others can serve them, and how God can help us be welcoming even when we are struggling.

Link to printable version coming soon

The need to be welcomed

  • Ask: How do you feel when you walk into a room where you don’t know anyone?

It’s not always intuitive to think of welcoming others as an act of service. But in our cultural context, an act of welcome can meet more needs than we realize: helping someone feel comfortable in an unknown situation; making sure people feel seen instead of invisible; counteracting the narratives that anxiety, depression, or other struggles may have them believing; showing someone in a simple way that they have value; and so much more.

The Christian way of welcome

  • Read Matthew 25:34-40 and Romans 15:5-7.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:5-7

Christ instructs us to welcome others, and it brings him glory when we do so. But what about when we are the ones feeling nervous, intimidated, unimportant, anxious, and so on? The people around us may be feeling all the same ways, but how can we welcome others when we are struggling ourselves?

  • Ask: When you are in a group situation, what is it that prevents you from welcoming others? What are the main obstacles that stop you from engaging with others, especially strangers?

  • Read Romans 8:12-15, and Romans 15:7 again.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:12-15

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:5-7

We are asked to welcome others because Christ has welcomed and even adopted us. No matter our position in any given group, we have the ultimate welcome: access to a relationship with the holy Father God through Jesus Christ, his son. On top of all that, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and helps us live out this posture of welcome.

  • Ask: What difference does it make to know that we are welcomed and accepted by Christ, even if we’re not experiencing that from the people around us right now?

  • Ask: How does the gospel apply to the barriers we just talked about that stop us from going towards others?

  • Ask: How can the Holy Spirit help us in these moments?


Practising welcome

Sometimes, welcoming the stranger can be as simple as introducing yourself and asking someone’s name, being curious about them, or listening well. Have each member of the group imagine a situation they may be in this week where they could have the opportunity to welcome someone.

  • What is one thing you could say to welcome someone in that situation? Practice saying/asking it to another member of the group now.

Have one person pray for opportunities to welcome others this week.