AN Anglican cleric is calling on Christians to move away from quoting scriptures and cliches and be more welcoming to those in society who feel rejected by the Church.
The call was made by Priest in Charge of the St. Philip-the-Less Anglican Church, Reverend Jerome Small as he addressed a 125th anniversary service of the Boscobel Primary yesterday morning.
Saying that we are all works in progress and in need of God’s grace, he recounted a recent conversation with some young men, who, while admitting they all have bad habits, felt as though they deserved better from the church.
He stressed the importance of hospitality, adding that persons in the Church must practice what they preach and internalise what they are supposed to be to others.
“When we look at the world in which Jesus lived there was considerable importance placed on hospitality....Christians were not concerned about whether persons could reciprocate their acts of hospitality. They did not discriminate, following the example of Jesus. They extended hospitality to those to whom nothing could be gained in returned.”
“The widow, orphan, the outcasts of their society. Christians reached out and welcomed those who were considered to be the least, the last and the lowly of society. These persons were invited into a relationship with them and given the opportunity to learn and experience the love of God. To this day people are still searching for this connection with God. We need to ask ourselves are we helping them to experience and recognise God’s presence within them, or are we hindering them, turning them away,” he told the congregation.
Reverend Small said it is about building relationships with others, rather than the actual edifice.
“We know we are more than the 125 or 155 year old buildings. Our focus must be on what is experienced when persons join us. We must do our best to be warm, welcoming, loving and caring to everyone that steps foot in our school and our church. It does not matter who they are, who their parents are. Everyone deserves love and respect.
“We as a church and we as a school have the opportunity to shape children and adults of our community by how we interact with them. By what and how we teach them. By no means will it be easy...We can learn from Jesus’ words ‘Come and See’. We need to recognise that hospitality is the first step towards making a difference for evangelism, and the first step in making a difference in the lives of our children. We must take the initiative,” he stressed.
He also said that the view that Christianity is only for the few hours spent on Sundays or Saturdays must be challenged. (JH)
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