Belonging and Unexpected Community

Well, Friends…how many of us started our Christmas shopping this past week? How many of us shopped online? Did anyone choose to go to a brick-and-mortar store and do some old-fashioned shopping? You know…the shopping where you grab a cart and get some physical exercise at the same time as you’re shopping! Aww…you old-fashioned shoppers are my kind of people! I love going to stores to see all the Christmas decorations with my favorite holiday music playing in the background. And somehow, all of this shopping is more fun when we go shopping with someone else. There’s just something about being in community that warms my heart, especially at Christmas time!

Now, my husband Jeff doesn’t like to go shopping, but he is one of my favorite people to shop with. You see, Jeff is what I like to call a courteous shopper. He always takes an abandoned cart from the parking lot back into the store. And sometimes, if there are two or three abandoned carts near our car, Jeff will gather those carts and return them to the store as well. Maybe it’s the Boy Scout in him, where he has been taught to leave his surroundings better than how he found them, or perhaps he feels a sense of kinship with anyone pushing their carts back up to the store. Whatever it is, if there were an exclusive club for grocery cart returners, Jeff would certainly belong.

I remember one day we grabbed a cart from the parking lot and started pushing it through the store… and after we were three aisles deep, we noticed we had a rebellious cart! We had one of those carts with a squeaky, wobbly wheel. You know…the kind of cart that veers to the left no matter which way you push it. And as we struggled to return that cart to get a new one, a woman walking beside us said, “Looks like you got one of the deluxe models today!” And we all laughed, and I said, “You got that right!” And for a short moment, we bonded instantly with this lady by our shared battle with rickety carts.

The Power of Belonging

Isn’t it funny how quickly belonging happens? Sometimes it takes nothing more than a shared moment, a silly struggle, a quick smile, or a kind gesture, like holding the door, to remind others that they belong. You know…it’s true…God’s Family Has Enough Room for Everyone.

Indeed, belonging is the heart of Romans 15. In today’s scripture, Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Rome — a community made up of Jewish and Gentile Christians. And I know we’ve talked about this many times before, but it bears saying once again. Those two groups of people have a very complicated history. Sadly, the Jewish Christians had been expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius due to conflict between the Jewish and Christian factions, and they had recently been allowed to return to their homes. When they returned, their neighborhoods had changed. Their traditions were questioned. Their social status had been shattered. Their credibility was doubted. And their place in the church was very uncertain. They had been ostracized by society, and they desperately wanted to know that they belonged somewhere. So, Paul writes directly into their longing. Paul basically says, “Because of Christ, you are part of God’s family. You belong. No one stands outside the circle of God.”

In other words: “God’s Family Has Enough Room for Everyone.” And Paul anchors this welcome in the most profound truth of our faith. Paul anchors this truth in the incarnation of Christ Jesus.

The Incarnation as Divine Inclusion

You know…if the Incarnation means anything, it means this: God has chosen to dwell in humanity — not in perfection, not in saints alone, not in the spiritual elite, but in us. All of us! And it’s amazing to think, and sometimes incomprehensible, that God, the creator of all things, said, “I think it’s time.” “It’s time to step into humanity’s story, into their struggles and limitations, and live among them in human form. I want all people to know — I will not love them from a distance. I will not leave them alone in their human form and sinfulness. I will not let them wonder if they matter. I will take on human flesh so they know that every person matters to God!”

The Lonely Season

Friends, this message feels especially important during the Christmas season. We often describe this time of year with words like joy, peace, togetherness, and family. But what about the people this description doesn’t fit? Some grieve empty chairs at the table. Some feel forgotten or disconnected. Some are overwhelmed by memories, regrets, and unspoken pain. And the deep irony of Christmas is that it’s the very season that celebrates God coming near — when so many feel far away from others and more importantly from God. So, it’s vital for us to share the news that Christmas is not a holiday for the perfect. It’s a rescue mission for the lonely, the broken-hearted, the searching, the weary, and the ones who fear that they do not belong. Indeed, God’s plan from the beginning of time was to include everyone.

Scriptural Evidence of Inclusion

You know…Paul draws on multiple scriptures to show that God’s plan has and always will include all nations, all peoples, and everyone’s story.

In Romans 15:9, Paul cites David praising God among the Gentiles. Paul says, “Therefore, I will praise you among the gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” And this means that God’s praise was never meant to stay in Israel, because David, one of the greatest kings of Israel, declares God’s glory among the nations.

Then Paul uses the shortest Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 117:1, as a universal call to say that salvation is so good that all nations are invited to belong. It reads, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the nations extol him.”

And finally, Romans 15:12 says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” And this prophecy, with Messianic undertones, is where God promises that the Messiah will come from the line of David and be a hope not just for Israel but for all nations.

The Gift Must Be Received

So, Jesus didn’t just come to welcome the insiders. Jesus came to welcome the outcasts — those excluded for generations. And here’s the best news yet: because of God’s great love for humanity, the gift of the Holy Spirit is offered to all people from every nation and tongue, from generation to generation!

But here’s the thing we must hang on to today…this gift, like every gift that is offered to us, must. be. received.

The Living Presence

Theologian Richard Rohr, when talking about the Holy presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, offered to all people, said this:
“The Presence of the Spirit needs to be recognized, honored, and drawn upon to become a living Presence in us. We were made in love, for love, and unto love, and it’s out of this love that we act. This deep inner ‘yes’ that is God in me is already loving God through me.”

Then Rohr went on to make a point that we can’t let God love us more. God already loves us infinitely. We just need to become more aware of God’s love by becoming more present to it.

A Story of Sacred Welcome

Several years ago, one of my colleagues who pastors a church in downtown Dayton told me a story of a man named Marcus who had been living on the streets for years. Marcus often sat on the church steps during the week, unnoticed by the crowds walking by. And one cold winter Sunday morning, an usher stepped outside and simply said, “You’re welcome to come in if you’d like.” Marcus was shocked. He hadn’t been inside a church in decades and wasn’t sure he belonged anywhere — let alone in a church.

But something in the invitation felt sincere…so Marcus cautiously followed the usher inside. When the congregation stood to sing, Marcus stayed seated. But during the passing of the peace, a little girl walked over to him and hugged Marcus. Tears filled his eyes, and he whispered to the little girl, “No one has hugged me in the past ten years…thank you for reminding me that I matter.”

The Gospel of Radical Hospitality

Friends, Marcus was held, welcomed, and seen. After worship, people invited him to have coffee with them during their fellowship hour. Someone handed him a plate. Someone else asked his name. And everyone at the table listened to his story. And you know…Marcus started attending church every Sunday morning. And within weeks, he started calling the congregation “my church.” Now, Marcus wasn’t on the church rolls, but the church knew him as one of their own. And the love of the church let Marcus know that he belonged.

Friends, that church lived out the truth of Romans 15: “to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” To let everyone know that God’s family has enough room for everyone.

A Challenge to Us All

But here’s the thing that I don’t want anyone to miss. Romans 15 isn’t just a theological lesson. It’s a calling that God creates in our hearts when we place our faith in God. There is no outsider. There’s no us and them. No cultural divide too wide. No story too messy. And no person beyond God’s welcome, forgiveness, and grace. Paul assures the Romans and us that God loves everyone — PERIOD! Because God’s salvation plan includes even the Gentiles.

So I have a question for you to ponder today. Who are the Gentiles in your life today? Who would you consider to be the outcasts or untouchables?

Sacred Worth in Every Person

Perhaps it’s the person experiencing homelessness, like Marcus.
Or the teenager struggling with their identity, wondering if they are loved.
Maybe it’s the elderly neighbor who sits alone in a quiet house, with no one to care for them or talk to.
Perhaps the Gentile might be the person battling addiction, lost in their shame and struggle?
Or maybe it’s the incarcerated person yearning for a second chance, or the veteran, or a single parent carrying heavy burdens hidden away so that no one else can see.

Friends, these are not issues within our society. These. Are. People!
People who are beloved, sacred, image-bearing children of God, just like you and me.

Closing Charge and Benediction

So, this is more than polite hospitality. This is gospel hospitality. The kind of hospitality that is so welcoming, in fact, that it’s life-changing.

Friends, as we look toward the manger this Christmas, let’s remember this: God chose to be born into a world where there was no room at the inn, so that every one of us would know there is always room in the family of God.

So, let’s see people and their sacred worth. Let’s listen before we judge.
Let’s embrace rather than exclude. Let’s offer grace instead of correction.
Let’s make space even if it might be inconvenient for us.
So that together we will declare the good news everywhere we go:
That God’s family has Enough Room for Everyone.
That you belong, you are sacred…You. Are. Loved.

Come, Holy Spirit, I pray it may be so. Amen.