When I was in seminary we did field education in a parish during our last two years.  During our first year we didn’t have a parish assignment, and so we were encouraged to visit a variety of churches to get a sense of the breadth of the Episcopal Church.  My wife, Liz, and I decided that instead of visiting a different parish each Sunday, we would rather be part of a community.  So after visiting a few churches we settled on a beautiful church with a good liturgy, good preaching, a men and boys choir, a girls choir, and lots of outreach and educational opportunities.  We were ready to plunge in with both feet.  At the church we belonged to before I went to seminary, Liz had been the altar guild director, and she thought that it might be fun to be on the altar guild for the one year we were at this parish.  One Sunday after the late service, Liz found an altar guild member straightening up the chapel.  The woman was about forty-five years old, had frosted blonde hair in a pageboy cut, an impeccable tweed suit, and black pumps.  Liz introduced herself and said that her husband was a seminarian, that she had been the director of the altar guild at her old church, and that she’d sure like to help out with the altar guild at this church.  The woman slowly looked Liz up and down and said, “Are you a cradle Episcopalian?”  Liz took a step back and stammered, “I grew up Roman Catholic, but I was received into the Episcopal Church years ago.”  The woman replied, “Well, the altar guild is full and before there is an opening someone will have to die.”

Liz is a pretty nice person – I’ve always liked her – so it’s hard to understand why that lady was so hostile.  I don’t think it was anything personal; I think that she was just afraid of visitors.  And I can see why.  Just off the top of my head, I can think of three good reasons not to welcome visitors.

A good reason not to welcome visitors is because they may challenge us.  In our First Lesson from the Book of Genesis we find good old Abraham snoozing in the shade of his tent on a hot summer day.  Suddenly three mysterious visitors show up.  Is it three men?   Is it three angels?  Is it the Lord?  Is it the Lord and two servants?  Is it the Holy Trinity?  Who knows.  The ancient stories of the Old Testament can be a little vague about these things, but whoever they are they clearly have a divine message.  They tell Abraham and Sarah that God is going to make good on his promise and give them a son.  Abraham and Sarah are about 100 years old and they are going to have a baby.  Talk about a challenge.  The Gospel lesson is also about challenges.  Jesus chooses twelve apostles and sends them out to cure the sick and preach the Gospel.  The apostles carry with them the challenge of the Gospel.  The easy thing to do is to reject the visitors and turn them over to governors and kings, and to betray them to death.  The hard thing to do is to accept Gospel and take up the difficult, if not impossible challenge, of unconditionally loving God and one’s neighbor.  So who wants to welcome visitors, they may challenge us.

A good reason not to welcome visitors is because they may change us.  Abraham and Sarah are changed by the three visitors.  They become parents and, more than that, they become the patriarch and matriarch of a great people, and the parents of many nations.  That’s quite a change from being a nomadic herder.  St. Paul struggles with change in his Letter to the Romans.  Both he and the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem understand that the Gospel is for all people, both Jews and Gentiles.  But that raises the question, of how to incorporate both Jews and Gentiles into the New Covenant. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are changed by being part of the New Covenant and, in fact, are changed so much that they split into two religions.  So who wants to welcome visitors, they may change us.

A final reason not to welcome visitors is because they humble us.  The people the apostles visited had to be humble enough to admit that they weren’t perfect.  They had to admit that they needed healing, and that they needed to hear the Good News.  When the apostles went on their missionary journey, the only reason they got into some homes was because the residents admitted that they had needed help.  And the same is true for all people who are welcomed into God’s covenant.  St. Paul says that “while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  Jesus didn’t wait until we were perfect before he helped us; he helped us because we are so messed up.  We have to be humble and acknowledge our need before we can accept Jesus’ help.  So who wants to welcome visitors, they may humble us.

Today I’ve given you three good reasons not to welcome visitors: They challenge us; they change us; and they humble us.  But, in fairness, I can think of one good reason to welcome visitors.  When we welcome a visitor we welcome not just the visitor we welcome Christ himself.  That nasty altar guild lady thought that the church is a club.  But it is not a club; it is a people.  Christ comes to us to challenge us, and change us, and humble us to make us a people fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.