Matthew 10:40-42
June 28, 2026
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA.
The Yale Divinity School professor, Siobhan Garrigan was traveling in Ireland doing research for her book, The Real Peace Process, arrived at a Presbyterian church in Northern Ireland. She was greeted by two women ushers, church members, whose job was to stand at the door of the church and interview newcomers as they arrived. They quietly asked her for her first name. And they also asked any approaching strangers for their first names who wished to join in the morning worship.
Then Siobhan figured out what was happening. Hearing those names, the ushers would draw conclusions about the cultural and religious identity of each. Those with Protestant names were welcomed warmly and shown their seats. Those with apparently Catholic names, the Marias and the Catherines and the Patricks, were told that they were surely in the wrong church and sent on their way.
Surely, no church would act in this way any longer! But Siobhan Garrigan’s research confirmed that the current practice persists. Donald, a Scottish Gaelic name, is neither Protestant or Catholic. While we at Lakeshore might find this situation unfamiliar, the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics continue.
We would like to say that we have no such issues. Our society has moved past such discriminatory behavior. We like to say that we have elected an African American president, named Obama, after all, and knock down all the walls and boundaries. At Lakeshore, we say everyone is welcome!
Whoever Welcomes
Jesus in his concluding remarks to his disciples before they are sent to go on their missionary journeys offers these compensation and rewards. In just a few short sentences, Jesus is challenging his disciples and us on what is meant by welcoming another. It is only after doing so that we discover the reward that comes from the deep hospitality found in God’s welcome of us. God calls us to radical hospitality that is compassionate welcome as a form of service to Christ.
When we review this list, we realize that this welcome can and should be performed by us at any time and is not confined to large heroic acts. Rather, they are simple, basic acts of kindness we perform in genuine welcome of one another. This is all God asks of us. We must look around us to see who is in need and then do something about it.
Lakeshore Barriers
This unsettling image of that Protestant church on an Irish hillside, we would like to dismiss inhaving any relevancy to us at Lakeshore. We want to dismiss such boundary keeping as abhorrent to the gospel and us.
But perhaps, it’s more familiar than we want to admit. We may not bar our front doors. And our head usher, Steve would never ask the name of a visitor or a stranger in some covert attempt to find them out and send them along to where they belong.
Nevertheless, if we are really honest about the church that we know, we would have to confess that, though we define borders differently, we still have them.
Lakeshore is a highly educated church—you see this in the portraits of previous pastors in the library who have served here. They are “giants” in our American Baptist family. We are curious about education and profession. So, when you hear that we have a grandson who’s at UC Berkeley or another one at MIT, I have the credentials to be in the same room with you! The higher the level of higher education or college status, the warmer the reception might be.
We do this about our professions too. I often ask what do you do during the week, expecting the person to share their profession and when it meets my expectations, I would become more interested to extend the conversation. While none of us would turn away someone, we will tell ourselves that we simply have more things in common with those who are like us. The implications of such questions that we might ask a visitor is that we are not too different from asking if someone is Protestant or Catholic.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. There are other barriers that we have to not welcome someone: what neighborhood you live in, a membership in a social club, the schools the children attend, where do you have your 401K. These are all rather within the realm of polite conversations deemed acceptable by everyone.
We might think, after all, will the uneducated truly feel comfortable in our church? Will the less wealthy feel more comfortable at another church? Is there a dominant social or political perspective that one really needs to subscribe to feel welcomed as a newcomer? For example, I can make a comment about the current US president, also named “Donald” and not get run out of the church! Do I need to say any more about our primary political persuasion?
Our mission/vision statement on the front of the morning bulletin describes who we are but if a visitor disagrees with any of it, would she feel welcome? Would we fling open the doors of the church to welcome…? You can fill in the blank!
The Gospel lesson invites us to ask all these questions about the quality of the welcome that we offer to one another within the body of Christ, the church. When we welcome the stranger, we welcome none other than Christ himself.
Lakeshore Welcomes
Not only is Lakeshore a “welcoming and affirming” congregation, it is progressive, inclusive, and open-minded in many aspects. We are here and I am here because we like to worship without the fear of looking over our shoulders of someone bothering us especially as we celebrate World Pride Sunday at Lakeshore.
But our convictions to practice radical hospitality is not without its shortcomings. We might think that we are warm and loving but this could also be superficial hospitality. In the end, are we a part of an oppressing and privileged group?
We who welcome others are doing this from our contexts and in so doing, we retain our control. We welcome people on our terms into our world that we ourselves have crafted. It is impossible to develop the reciprocal relationships expressed in this passage; for the host has near absolute control. For instance, we believe we are welcoming because we have flung opened our front doors but we are still controlling the situation such as no talking during worship, no eating, no looking at your cell phones, we tell you when to stand up and when to sit down.
To practice radical hospitality, we may need to turn away from familiar behaviors that do not welcome others and turn toward acts that signal our willingness to embrace and live the new ways of being found in God.
We may need to seek repentance away from our ways of privilege and being in control and seek forgiveness that we have been saying “it’s our way or no way!” When we acknowledge that there is so much more that we can learn from others is when we begin to become aware that we have let Jesus down.
This is the reason why we participate regularly in celebrating heritage months. Thus far this year, we have had African American Heritage Month so that we can learn about the struggles and the joys of African Americans and as we sing hymns out of the African American Heritage Hymnal. We have Women’s Month so that we can learn and appreciate the women in the work place, at home, and in every aspect of the country. We recently had AANHPI Heritage month so that never again would we become so inhospitable as to send over 110,000 Americans to concentration camps. Today, we recognize and celebrate World Pride Day!
These opportunities built in us more knowledge and understanding of welcoming all of God’s people to join us at Lakeshore. We become the embodiment of radical hospitality that leads to welcoming strangers into God’s spirit of mercy.
As we extend hospitality to others, we may very well find that we experience new insights and hear new stories of faith that redirect our perceptions of reality. When we give witness to this we better understand ourselves in becoming new beings. This is also the reward that we will never lose.
Camino Welcome
Some of you remember hearing me sharing with you that I have walked two Caminos. The Camino de Santiago is the Way of St. James primarily in Spain. The traditional story is that the disciple James on his missionary journey brought the Gospel all the way to the Iberian Peninsula. But when he returned to Jerusalem, he was martyred for his faith. His disciples brought his body in a stone boat accompanied by angels back to Santiago.
The spiritual practice is that pilgrims over the centuries have been walking to the Cathedral de Santiago where James’ body is entombed. But on the way, we who are pilgrims receive generous hospitality wherever we would walk. We stayed at friendly and hospitable inns and nourished with a healthy breakfast to send us on our way.
On the trails, we would say, “Buon Camino!” to encourage each other to remain steadfast on our pilgrimages. All along the trails, there are the symbols of the sea shell to direct our steps. And when we reach Santiago, we sat down on the huge piazza, off with our hiking boots to greet our aching feet, and celebrate with each other.
On my first Camino with our daughter, Lauren, I saw this Camino shell carved out of granite at a sandwich place. I picked it up and it was heavy so I left it at the shop. But after a few yards back on the trail, I turned back and bought the Camino shell granite and realized that I will need to carry this in my backpack to the very end! I told myself that this would be one of the burdens I carry on this Camino.
Today, this Camino shell granite sits outside in my yard facing the public stairs to walk to downtown Sausalito. At first, people warn me that someone may steal it and I would be disappointed. But my goal of bringing back the warm hospitality that I received in Spain to Sausalito won out at the end. Today, this piece of granite is a sign of welcome and if anyone who may recognize it as the Camino de Santiago and knock on my front door, I will open the door and extend warm hospitality to them.
Radical hospitality means that immigrants with temporary protection status who may have American-born children and contributed to society by paying taxes over many years have a vital place in the making of America. Radical hospitality means that refugees escaping inhuman conditions can find sanctuary and asylum in the US, the sweet land of liberty. In God’s sight, there are no boundaries.
It’s radical to welcome a stranger. But inasmuch as Jesus welcomed us even when we didn’t deserve it, we welcome the “little ones,” the prophets, the righteous and the unrighteous, the Protestants and the Catholics, the well-educated and the uneducated, the well to do and those who have little, the close neighbors and the tourists, anyone who may knock on our front door, Steve would give them a cup of cold water. We would say, “Buon Camino!”
The reward that I received is that I have a fresh and faithful way of seeing others. Being a faithful disciple, I must practice radical hospitality. May it also be with you.
Let us pray.
Dear God, there are no stranger, foreigner, alien or outsider in your sight. Lead us to welcome everyone to receive your love and grace. Jesus taught us to follow in his footsteps toward you. Let us offer a cup of cold water to all the little ones in our world and in so doing, we would have given you cold water too. Amen.
Benediction
Go and extend Christ’s welcome to everyone.
Share your welcome with strangers everywhere.
God’s grace will be with you wherever you go.
May the peace of God be with you always. Amen.