If Christ welcomed us, who come from tribes without any promise or covenant or hope of salvation, then we should also welcome strangers within the Church. The church is not national, nor regional, norshould it be based on race and ethnicity.

The church is a family of faith.

Now, we have ignored this — separating, even within the same denomination (and I would include the Romans here) into ethnically based churches, at times with different rites, talking in different languages.

And part of this was done in good faith: the Pacific Island and Chinese language churches were set up when the local congregations were either discriminated against or not fluent in English, and wanted to worship in their own language. or wanted some affiliation with the missionary based church in their homeland.

But we have to welcome the other, and that will be strange.

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”

And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

(Romans 15:7-13 ESV)

It will be strange, but that is the nature of travel. Even when I go from my own nation to Australia, which has very close ties to NZ, the place is different in many ways. We speak the same language and honour the same Queen, but there are marked differences. There are differences between the states in Australia and regions of New Zealand.

And when you go out of the commonwealth, it gets weird.

Those of us who do travel (and I am writing this in a airport lounge looking at the time) know this. It is important that we give those who have travelled hospitality, greetings, a welcome in Christ.

Let those who deny Christ be without the church. Within, let us love, and ignore the colour of the skin, judging by the quality of faith.