Sunday September 7, 2025

Start with the Welcome

Romans 15:7 offers one of the simplest and most profound instructions in scripture: “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Paul writes these words to a church divided between Jews and Gentiles, people who carried different histories, diets, and calendars. They were learning how to share one table without denying their differences. Into that setting, Paul gives a command that becomes a doorway: welcome each other not as projects, but as people God delights to bring near.
This message opens the Welcoming series with a scene from Ted Lasso. In Season 1, Episode 2, Ted enters an environment where he is not trusted. Instead of speeches, he brings Rebecca biscuits. Day after day, he returns with the same simple gift. It is not a bribe. It is a presence that says, “I see you, and I will keep showing up.” Over time, a guarded heart begins to soften. The scene reminds us that true welcome often begins with small, ordinary acts that are steady enough to build trust.
Paul’s command carries the same pattern. Christ welcomed us before we had anything to offer. He set the table before we could bring a dish. He called us friends and bore what we could not carry. If that is the pattern, then our calling is to extend that same welcome. Churches are not called to perform politeness for appearance’s sake. They are called to practice grace in a way that makes room for people to belong.
The sermon offers three practical steps for putting welcome into practice. First, cross the room. Look for the person who feels out of place, and take the first step toward them. Second, carry grace into differences. Welcome may mean laying down a preference so someone else can take a step toward Jesus, or slowing your pace so a conversation can breathe. Third, keep rooted in Christ. Pray for eyes to see people as He sees them. Let the Lord’s table remind you that His welcome is the model and motive for ours.
This vision of welcome stretches beyond Sunday mornings. It lives in kitchens, break rooms, and neighborhood tables. It sounds like, “Come sit with me next week; I’ll meet you at the door.” It looks like listening more than speaking, or carrying an extra kindness into an ordinary day. Wherever it takes root, welcome becomes a signpost of God’s glory.
The call of Romans 15:7 is not branding. It is doxology. When people who are not alike learn to live together in Christ, God’s character is revealed. The invitation is simple: start with welcome, because Christ started with you.