Greeted warmoly

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

GREETED WARMLY

Acts 21:15-19

15 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples. 17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

NIV

Certainly an account of where they went seems as though that is all there is, an account of where they went, but we are told that when they arrived the brothers greeted them warmly. That may seem to be obvious the believers would great other believers warmly, but in all reality that may not be the case in our post-modern church. In fact, we might even arrive at a church and not get greeted at all, or to make this personal, others might arrive at our church and we do not even greet them, much less warmly. Sure we have voluntaries to stand at the door and say hello to everyone who enters, which is mostly all the regular attenders. But in churches that have rather large congregations, the greeters cannot know everyone who attends and thus people unknown to the greeters enter, which could include someone new, a first time visitor. Yet the point here is that we, who are not greeters, stand around in our little clichés talking only to those in the group. Do we greet other believers warmly? Perhaps we do say hello, or how you doing, or hi, or maybe just smile and wave, but in all reality that is a rather cold, lack-luster greeting. Perhaps in our society that is all that is needed. Maybe people do not want to be bothered, they want that anonymity or do not like people to invade their personal space. Yet it would appear the lesson we should incorporate into our life is to greet others warmly, to embrace them, and make them feel as though we are glad to see them, that they are important and loved, which should be the way we actually feel, so our greeting is sincere. Paul told believers in both the letters to those in Corinth, to the believers in Thessalonica, and to those in Rome to greet each other with a holy kiss. That is four times in the New Testament we are admonished to greet each other with a holy kiss. That has to be more than just a smile and “how ya doing?”.