November 2007 Message

Did you know we welcomed thirty-five new members to St. George parish since the beginning of the year?  I think that is something to be proud of.  There are other parishes around and our new members live closer to some of them but they decided to become members here.  I like to think part of the reason is that we welcome them.  Visitors often remark that we are a very hospitable community.  That is a good reputation to have.  Hospitality and welcoming are virtues that go back a long time. 

Think of the story in the Bible about Abraham and Sara at their tent by the oak tree at Mamre.  They are busy with their daily chores and noticed three strangers approach.  Immediately, Abraham and Sarah stopped everything they were doing to welcome the strangers. It shouldn't surprise us that they wanted to show hospitality and make these strangers feel at home. Abraham and Sarah lived in the Middle East where hospitality is a very high priority. Abraham and Sarah's hospitality is very typical of Middle Eastern people.  It is good to know that our community inherited this virtue.

Abraham and Sarah went to great lengths to prepare a full meal, a banquet really, for these strangers -- but this is much more than the story of Abraham and Sarah welcoming strangers. We discover when we go further on into the passage that it is about God coming into their lives in a special way. God came to visit Abraham and Sarah and bring them good news. The passage really is a story of an appearance of God. 

When the Church tries to represent the Mystery of the Trinity, she refers to this hospitality given to strangers at the Oak of Mamre.  The Icon depicting this hospitality is the only one we use when representing the Holy Trinity.    

The epistle to the Hebrews reminds us that when we welcome a stranger, we are welcoming God into our midst, because, of course, God lives in everyone. It is important to realize this spirit of hospitality and welcoming here at St. George. We welcome those who come to pray with us on Sunday, and those who come to our Seniors program, and those who come in need of food or assistance. We welcome God when we welcome the visitor.  So far this year thirty-five of the people we welcomed decided to remain and be part of who we are.  Glory to God.