There were three of them, two at the double doors like twin bookends, and one inside on the other side of the foyer.

Both doors opened and I extended my hand for a shake to the bookend on the left. With an oddly surprised look on her face, she reached out her hand and gave a weak sort of finger shake, while asking, “Is this your first time here?” I smiled widely and said that it was. As I tried to enter the doorway, she was reporting to the right hand bookend “It’s her first time, get Carla.” Without really giving much attention to me they both were pointing across the foyer at a dozen or so ‘unknown’ faces to me and said, “Go see Carla, she has a gift for you.” I looked at them both then back to the small crowd of faces with no names – it was my first time – and decided to walk straight into the sanctuary instead, after all, I had just come to see Jesus. No gift needed!

I could hear the fuss continue in the background as the bookends scurried away from their post in a tizzy to inform Carla that a brand new person had entered the sanctuary without their welcome gift. I had the strangest since that I was being rebellious and breaking the rules. I found a seat.

In about 60 seconds, a woman who I assumed to be Carla stepped in front of my seat, handed me a piece of paper with a pen attached to it, told me to fill it out and she would come back and get it, then she would give me a ‘newcomer’ gift. Trust me when I say that was the extent of the recourse and it took about as much time as it had to do the shuffle to try and get to me before I sat down.

Annoyed now at the lack of personalism and professionalism, but I decided to be courteous and comply. I filled out the slip with my info and lay it on the seat next to me. Maybe there was a fourth one on the lookout I am not sure but within seconds of my laying it on the seat, Carla, as I assume her name to be, was directly in front of me again. She reached across me, picked up the slip, and handed me a brown paper gift bag with black tissue paper sticking out the top, stating “here’s a gift for you” and disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared – I sat it on the seat where the slip of paper had been and tried not to think about it again until the service was over. I did not want the disappointment I felt in the demeanor of the greeters to negatively affect my impression of the worship or sermon – it did.

After the closing prayer I reached for my purse and saw the ‘gift.’ More out of compassion to the bookends for their blissful persistence than for my own curiosity, I picked up the bag and took it out with me. My thought the whole time was that each person I pass knows by the brown paper bag in my hand that I am a ‘newcomer’ no one noticed, or no one cared – or they all accepted that the greeters had done their job and that was enough.

– and decided to walk straight into the sanctuary instead, after all, I had just come to see Jesus. No gift needed!

I would have rather had a gift of your time, a gift of your recognition, a gift of your curtesy. A simple question would have sufficed, such as, “Glad to have you, what is your name?” I normally don’t even notice but today I did – today I needed you to notice. In my travels and through the sheer number of ‘new’ church doors I’ve walked through I could start a booth at a secondhand store, filling it with candles, note pads with pens, coffee cups, and gift cards to local coffee shops. But I do not have enough spoken words from the plethora of church door greeters to even write a poem. Sad.

Not only did you not give me the coveted gift of time and attention, yes that one gift that cost so little from the giver but is of more value than rubies to the receiver, that one – but I did not see Jesus today – even if He was there, I did not see Him. I was too distracted and annoyed by the bookends and their matron.

Believe me when I say, I am in no way insulting anyone and if anything, my hope is to stir us all; To move us to check our presentation of His love. I love God’s people. I love God’s house. I have done my share of serving at churches, even in positions I was not fitted to, so no insults, I promise. My disappointment is in the institution, the program, the lack of personal welcoming to anyone, everyone who walks through the doors of His house. Even the ones that have been there since the beginning, the ones who founded the church, the ones that built the building, the Sunday school teacher, the maintenance men and bathroom cleaners; the deacons; the pastors, and the worship leaders; and yes, the ‘newcomer.’ The rich, the poor, the family, the couple, and of course the single. No matter how they dress; no matter how they smell; no matter what they wear. The point is, if one has the courage to come to God’s house – they need love – they need Jesus!

“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” — Ro. 15:7

And while this is not about rich or poor, James 2:3-5 comes to mind. No not about class, but it is simply about respect, it is about being personal, it is about sensitivity. Give your purchased gifts but at least give them with a smile and a brief conversation, 60 seconds was enough to cause a newcomer anxiety that could have been avoided in just 30 seconds of conversation. You’ve heard it said, “It’s not the gift, it’s all in the presentation” never truer! Isn’t it about loving people with the love of Jesus; about ‘seeing’ each other – as Jesus did, as Jesus does. Shouldn’t it be about people seeing Jesus in us.

 ^“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:16