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Josh Alves serves alongside Amy and Dylan as part of the covocational, pastoral team at Bangor Advent Christian Church in Bangor, Maine. He previously served as a Teaching Pastor at Oak Hill Bible in Oxford, MA and as a Field Director for the Ministry Training Institute.
“You’re welcome.”
It’s a short phrase, usually heard after someone says “thank you.” Common. Polite. Almost automatic. But in the context of Christian community, it becomes something more than a response to gratitude.
It becomes an invitation:
You. Are. Welcome.
In Romans 15:7, Paul writes, “Therefore, welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
And that word "welcome" is more than a “hello” at the door. It’s a posture of the heart. It's a decision to receive someone fully, even when they’re different from you. Even when, or particularly when, it costs you something.
As Amy, Dylan, and I step into a new season of life and leadership here in Bangor, I’ve been sitting with a question rooted in Paul’s words:
What does it look like for a community of Jesus-followers to be welcoming?
I've heard it said that Sunday morning is one of the most segregated times in American life. People often gravitate together along lines of familiarity, culture, and affinity. We gather with people who look like us, vote like us, think like us. Not necessarily because we mean to exclude, but because it seems easier to 'welcome' when we don’t have to feel uncomfortable.
The kind of welcome Paul highlights isn't based on shared interests or similar upbringings. It's rooted in what Christ has done on the cross. It grows from the reality that in Christ, the dividing walls of hostility have been broken down.
When Christ welcomed us, He didn't just say, "I acknowledge your existence. You're allowed to be here." He brought us into covenant. He made us part of His body and adopted us into the family of God.
As we realize that Christ has done this for us, it becomes a natural thing to do for others. When we welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us, we don’t just build a friendlier church. We embody the good news of the Kingdom and reveal the glory of God.
And the God of hope fills us with joy and peace so that we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (v. 13)
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