The sun was shining, the rainbow flags and painted stairs glowing in the light, casting even more rainbows! People everywhere - on the lawn, the parking lot and on the stairs. And the front doors were wide open! It was a perfect picture of hospitality. “Come on in! You are welcome here! This is your cathedral!”

“You are so welcoming”, said at least one thankful guest on the recent Pride Sunday in Minneapolis. And all we did was simply acknowledge her presence and invite her inside!    Hospitality during Pride weekend at Saint Mark’s included:

All of those many people were touched with an easy act of hospitality, of welcoming the stranger. The welcoming of others may not always be easy - know that God always is with us, offering courage to do the things we may not be comfortable doing. Let’s think about in our place worship on Sundays at Saint Mark’s. Look for a “stranger” every time you attend a service and try (really try!) to meet at least one new person each time you are present. “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ”, from Matthew 25, bids those words to each one of us, not to specific ones of us. So let’s try it! 

A few tips to welcome our guests: look around the space for someone you don’t know. Greet with a sincere welcome; share your name and a tiny bit about yourself.   If necessary, ask for the person’s first name – and put it in your memory for next time! The conversation might include the favorite part of today’s service and why.  In closing, you may offer that September 12 is our kickoff Sunday for fall programs – and that Saint Mark’s will have a festive gathering after 10:30 worship. And: “Hope that we can talk again then, if not before!”     That might sound like a lot, and if so, practice the first step – Greet - before adding on another.

Saint Mark’s is blessed with abundance. As some churches are bemoaning the small number of members, we are blessed that people are finding God here with us, attracted by the words they hear and by the warmth they feel. These new folks tell us they are looking for connections with God and are finding that here with us at Saint Mark’s. 

Let’s be ready (as the prophets always tell us), and step out of our regular pews, out of our comfort zones. Our ministry of hospitality is open for everyone to participate, whether or not you have an assigned role on a Sunday. Let’s each welcome our guests with love, because “if it’s not about love, then it’s not about God!” (Presiding Bishop Michael Curry)