There are so many people to talk to aren't there?
- People we haven't seen all summer.
- Someone we need to catch about that rota swap.
- A small group member who we know is having a hard time.
- That unfamiliar figure standing on their own.
One of the great things about our book of the summer (Ed Welch's Side by Side) was the advice he offered for just this scenario. I thought I'd remind you - and myself - of what he says:
We cannot greet everyone. So here is how we prioritize:
- The visitor (what Scripture calls the "foreigner" or "alien") comes first.
- The visitor who returns comes next.
- The less popular, the introverts, the marginalized, or those sitting alone come next.
- Then come the children. Jesus singles them out as examples of the marginalized.
- "Hi, _____" is offered to as many people as possible, which doesn't have to accompanied by a hug or hand-shake.
Good friends are interspersed through these greetings, but they are left for later if time is short.Great advice isn't it? Counter-cultural and Christ-like. Why not prayerfully arrive at your church meeting on Sunday with these priorities shaping your attitude and actions?
