Jesus was famous for extending a radical welcome to everyone he met, crossing over all kinds of human-made lines and boundaries. Having received Jesus’ radical welcome ourselves, we seek to extend that same welcome to all people.
At Saint Luke, every person’s identity is recognized and celebrated as a gift from God –no exceptions! Whatever your race, culture or color, you are welcome here. Whatever your marital status or family structure, you are welcome here. Whatever your gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, physical or intellectual ability, you are welcome here.
Together during lent, we are taking a closer look at the various ways that Jesus extended radical welcome to various groups of people and how we can follow His example. Each week we will explore a new demographic, learning both from Jesus’ example as well as hearing personal stories from members of the Saint Luke community. Journey with us this lenten season!
To kick off this special series, Betsy and Howard Friend help us explore Jesus’ radical welcome to those across various socioeconomic statuses.
ACROSS SOCIOECONOMIC STATUSES
Picture a statue of Jesus, simply looking out with tenderness and love, His arms outstretched in a broad embrace… no one outside that embrace! An embrace that in-gathers the full, broad spectrum of the human family. A clear call in our context of division and divisiveness, insult and sarcasm, a collapse of civility. Sometimes in churches! Differences of opinion, morph from exchange into confrontation. If there are “categories of welcome,” the differing socioeconomic realities of those who encountered Jesus is clearly among them.
“Jesus reached across socioeconomic realities extending radical welcome to all.”
Take a closer look at the ways Jesus interacted with those of various socioeconomic statuses:
Among those visiting the manger were shepherds, among the unclean, so Joseph ought to have blocked their way. They were the bottom of the social and economic ladder.
Jesus himself was of the peasant class in a country under foreign domination. His earliest playmates were surely of that same social level.
A rich ruler, hearing Jesus response to his wonderful question, but unable to make the sacrifice, walked away. It says that Jesus looked on him with compassion.
Simon the Pharisee of the Temple hierarchy and apparently a man of means, invited Jesus to lunch and he accepted. Ironically, sitting at table with one socially and financially above him, a “woman of the streets” entered, beginning to wash Jesus feet and dry them with her hair. Simon seems incensed at her intrusion and Jesus’ failure to dismiss her. Jesus addresses Simon with a penetrating question: “Simon, do you see that woman?”
Crossing Lines
This vignette of Jesus engaging both a poor woman and rich man stirs a personal experience. We founded Karitas Foundation 25 years ago with its primary work in Cuernavaca, Mexico. We are always in partnership with the peasant poor we serve: their hope and vision, their goals and plans, their collaboration and hard work. We aim to work more with then for and seek financial partnership by that city’s more successful and affluent. Our most successful strategy has been inviting delegations from the latter population to visit our project sites. After visiting, they are apt to say: “That’s what claimed my heart.” For both the struggling poor and the wealthier population direct interaction as peers is rare. Watching them interact with respect, even affection, is so touching.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
Jesus does not stop there. He continues to reach across socioeconomic lines, interacting with both the wealthy and the poor with love, respect, and compassion. Some additional examples include:
What more beautiful a scene than Jesus, dismissing the rebuke of his disciples, gathering the children into his arms. The context suggests that these were “children of the streets,” waifs, unclean, just a touch above the dogs that likely wandered nearby.
Noticing the haughtiness of the Pharisees as they dropped their tithe into container, Jesus saw a woman adding her mite. A lowly woman becomes a lesson from her poverty into their wealth.
As angry as we are apt to see Jesus, whip of cords in his hands, drives the moneychangers out of the Temple overturning their tables. It is often assumed that their offence was encroaching on the holy precinct of the Temple. Then why would he call them a “den of thieves”? It seems not that they are conducting economic activity there but the way they were conducting it. In unscrupulous and unjust ways. Beyond that, some scholars suggest that “turning over the tables” adds a challenge to an unjust economic system, in the spirit of the prophetic tradition.
Jesus dared to “sit at table” (a most intimate act) with prostitutes and tax collectors, drawing the ire of religious leaders. Catching Zacchaeus the tax collectors eye, Jesus invited him down from the tree, then inviting himself for lunch.
Tell Me More
Might this be an invitation to broaden the breadth of our own embrace? How might we do that? Bring to mind someone with whom you have substantially different opinions or perhaps a different socioeconomic reality. Invite them to coffee or some venue for conversation. In words that work for you, invite them to share their thoughts and opinions. Let your next words be simply “Tell me more.” Typically, as another person is talking, we quietly shift to response mode and stop really listening. Similarly, the speaker assumes you are preparing a rebuttal. Stay with “tell me more.” It gives you a chance to know more about the other’s perspective. It suggests a receptivity that will likely soften any tension that might have arisen.
Some churches have initiated what are called “Courageous Conversations.” Check out Better Angels, an organization initially committed to encouraging or hosting mixed conservative/liberal gatherings for conversation. They offer an invitation simply titled “Ask A . . .”: have you talked in depth to a Muslim . . . an African American . . . a policeman . . . a political official . . . a poor person . . . an incarcerated person . . . a homeless person. In the last year we have been intentional about this practice, which has been enlightening and fruitful.
An invitation to Act
With socioeconomic statuses in mind, there are a variety of ways to follow the example of Christ by extending radical welcome to both those with more means and less means than ourselves.
Have a “Tell me more” conversation with someone living a different socioeconomic reality than you. We can learn a great deal from one another and all have unique perspectives to share on how financials have influenced our lives and our families. As we listen to those in various financial situations, we can learn about God’s provision, gratitude, giving, greed, judging others, jealousy, etc.
Unsure where to meet someone in a different socioeconomic status? For those used to having a warm place called home, perhaps interact with a homeless person. Saint Luke regularly worships with The Welcome Church, a church without walls for those experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. Consider joining us on one of these trips.
Pray for those with both more than you and less than you. Seek God’s direction on how you can extend Jesus’ radical welcome to people on any point of the socioeconomic spectrum. No matter how much or how little a person financially has, spiritually we all need Jesus’ love.
May we be quick to be filled with gratitude for all the blessings you have provided us. May we not forget that wealth comes in many forms and fashions. & May we see the poor, the rich and all in-between as your beloved children, deserving of radical welcome and worthy of love.
Special thanks to Howard & Betsy Friend. Rev. Dr. Howard Friend is a pastor, consultant and spiritual mentor. Betsy Friend is a pastoral psychotherapist, retreat leader and activist. They are becoming more frequently involved at Saint Luke and are loving it!