Who is Welcome in Your Church?
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
1 My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others God's gift of undeserved grace. 2 Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. 3 They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. 4 They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people. 5 And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do. 6 Titus was the one who got you started doing this good thing, so we begged him to help you finish what you had begun. 7 You do everything better than anyone else. You have stronger faith. You speak better and know more. You are eager to give, and you love us better. Now you must give more generously than anyone else. 8 I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown. 9 You know our Lord Jesus Christ treated us with undeserved grace by giving up all his riches, so you could become rich. 10 A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to. So listen to my advice. 11 I think you should finish what you started. If you give according to what you have, you will prove you are as eager to give as you were to think about giving. 12 It doesn't matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have. 13 I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair 14 for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share, 15 just as the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered too much had nothing left. Those who gathered only a little had all they needed.”
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Memory Verse
2 Corinthians 8:13-14
13 I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair 14 for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share,
Imagine what it would be like if every house was made just for kids. The ceilings would be lower and chairs would be smaller. Kids would feel very welcome, but what about adults? Would they feel like they “belonged” in houses like that?
But adults do belong, don’t they? And so do you. Which is why your parents got a high chair for you when you were younger so that you could sit up to the dinner table. They also got you step stools to reach something from a high countertop. They did it because they love you. You are an essential (or indispensable) part of their home, and they want you to participate fully.
Our churches are homes too. They are a home for our church family, a place where we learn about and worship God. But if parts of our church family cannot sit with us in the sanctuary, get to the classrooms, or sing with us, then are they really being treated like a part of our family? Are they really welcome? Are they really indispensable?
The apostle Paul talks to us about this. He tells us that God wants equality, and that equality sometimes means that we have to make sacrifices so that every part of the body can truly belong.
This means if our church building is older, then we might need to make changes to it so that our church family can all get to the same places in the building. It also means we need to take time to get to know our other family members, learn from them, and hear about what they want to participate in at church. How can you help your church family members feel like they belong today?
Prayer
Dear Lord, You are all we need. You have blessed us with so much that we often forget how other people live. Many are forgotten, and sometimes we forget them too. Help us to see them, to notice them, to make them feel welcome in the church. And most of all, use me to equip and encourage them to do the good works you have prepared for them to do, that together we might glorify You. Amen.Related Resources
Dan Vander Plaats
Dan Vander Plaats is the Director of Advancement, Marketing, and Communications at Elim Christian Services, a global, Christian disability ministry based in Crestwood, Illinois. Dan serves on the advisory committee for a bi-denominational Disability Concerns committee. In 2009, he developed “The 5 Stages: Changing Attitudes” to help churches and individuals assess and change their attitudes toward people with disabilities, and he’s the author of Changing Attitudes about Disability. He is married to Denise (Hiemstra) and is father to Ben and Emma.