Founded in 1999, Welcoming the Stranger has taught over 4,900 students from 104 different countries. Welcoming the Stranger is a fully independent, IRS-approved, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Financial support comes from individuals, places of worship, and local businesses, as well as grants from area foundations, which allows all programs to remain free of charge for students. I read Barth’s Roemerbrief a long time ago. I don’t still have it on my shelf. Your summary of what he is saying is not very clear, so I shall not say more unless you do. But Paul is very clearly talking about unconverted Jews in Romans 9:2-4. Do you and/or Barth dispute that? LET ALL GUESTS who arrive be received like Christ, for he is going to say, "I came as a guest, and you received me." Colin – as with much of what you write, (a) I get the impression that it is probably really good, but (b) I can’t understand it – and it goes way over my head. Say Britain was taken over by a despot and I needed to flee for my safety, and let’s say I spoke Spanish but no French and had some friends or relations in Spain who I knew I could help me, but no one in knew in France. Where would I go? Obviously I’d go through France and on to Spain if I could. Would I be going there rather than France for economic reasons? Maybe you could make that argument, but it wouldn’t stop me being a genuine refugee. And I’d be of more use to a host country if I knew the language and had a support network.

Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders

Unfortunately authorities that voted to bring in immigrants discard their responsibility to follow up on the behaviour of the immigrants. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." 18. Isaiah 58:7There are lessons for Western democracies and the Church from Australia's contentious Voice referendum By extending a welcome to strangers—each other—we are resisting the way things are in the world. The climate of this world is inhospitable. We need climate change—physical, attitudinal, spiritual, emotional, communicative change—that can begin only when people like you and me refuse to act like the rest of the world is acting right now. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35). Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 1 Peter 1:17 This column explores the question ‘ Why should we welcome the stranger?’ as part of a whole edition of the magazine on this issue.

Bible Verses About Welcoming Visitors 30 Powerful Bible Verses About Welcoming Visitors

Of course, the Israelites themselves were “strangers” during their enslavement in Egypt and captivity in Babylon. The Hebrew Bible recognizes that every one of us can be a stranger and, for that very reason, we need to overcome our fear of those who live among us whom we do not know. The stranger is Jesus in disguise The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold." 9. 3 John 1:5

There can be little room for doubt about the position of the Bible when it comes to how we should treat the stranger, or "sojourner", meaning someone who resides temporarily: he or she should be welcomed, embraced, and loved. In the New Testament, hospitality becomes an act of love and service. Jesus takes this idea and teaches us how it should be done in Luke 10:5-6 when he says " Whatever house you enter, first say 'peace be to this house!' Then if a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you." How should Christians treat strangers? Hi, I'm Isaac, a blogger, trivia enthusiast and owner of Trivia Faith Blog, a platform dedicated to providing a unique perspective on faith, spirituality, and engaging trivia quiz.

Welcoming the Stranger About Us — Welcoming the Stranger

However, holy fear is only the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom sees the stranger, not only as a risk, but also an opportunity. The stranger, precisely because he is strange to us, introduces something new into our world. Unlike the birds that God led before Adam in Eden, the stranger (in this case, Eve), introduces an opportunity for the greatest of earthly goods – an opportunity for friendship. C. S. Lewis says, “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” Herein lies the root of our dignity, the very image of God within us, and of our positive desire to welcome the stranger; We are capable of friendship in the truth. This suggests to me that they are not bona fide refugees but economic migrants, but that is a further issue. Reply Make a chart showing how each of the sources we studied in this unit imagines the relationship between the host, the guest, and God. A) Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it.I have great grief and continual pain in my heart, for I was praying that I be cursed from Christ on behalf of my brothers in the flesh, who are Israelites, who were adopted and have the covenants and the law… Professor Christine Pohl said “hospitality is resistance” to the way things are in the world today. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27 Anton – I don’t dispute that, but I can’t say anything about whether or not Barth disputes that (having read his commentary). I do know that he used this chapter as an excuse to write about `The Church’ and – as I say – I think that what he says about `The Church’ is right on the button – but if you want to know about Romans 9, you should read something else entirely. I used this as research for a paper I wrote proving to my fellow Christians that we cannot possibly behave like Christ if we deport illegal immigrants, and that we cannot possibly behave like Christ if we are going to deny refugees. Great material and to find these verses all in one place… thank you! I urge pastors to do sermons on this topic!