Pause to pray ~ an important part of the journey

World Day of Prayer ~ have you ever celebrated it in your world? I remember the first time that I was introduced to this important celebration in the world, in Cameroon in 2003 when Karen (my missionary colleague and good friend) and I were "refugees" waiting to get back to CAR after a political uprising there had displaced us over the border into Cameroon. We were living at a Lutheran mission station, and as we were coming up the hill from the market, we stopped in the local church. Something of importance was going on, as there was a large and rather loud gathering of women in the church.  I didn't quite get "it", why a group of Lutheran women in Cameroon were celebrating and praying for and raising funds for women in another country (sorry, friends, my memory escapes me to remember which was the highlighted country that year!)

I have been blessed by World Day of Prayer celebrations ever since.  In Antwerp, WDP is celebrated in the Flemish speaking community as well as the English speaking community here in the northern part of Belgium.  We English speakers gathered and despite the winter cold of the first Friday in March, it was a great experience in many ways.  We celebrated in St. Boniface Cathedral, which had just in 2012 finished a major renovation project and is a protected monument in this country.  The building itself was quite beautiful, but even more beautiful were the people who came together to celebrate.

Our focus country was France, who are our neighbors here to the south and west.  Our focus scripture text was Jesus reminding his disciples in Matthew 25 "For I was a stranger and you invited me in".  Amidst the joy of the music, the cold of winter, the bright colors of the ribbons that we all carried in our hands and used to join together at the end to remind us to welcome the stranger among us, there was this word:
"We welcome people into our cities, our schools, our churches, and most important, into our lives.  Reflect, for a moment, on a time in your life when you have received a gesture of welcome.  It feels good, you feel cared for, your self worth is affirmed, perhaps you even feel loved.  Now just imagine what a simple gesture of welcome can do to a foreigner, a refugee, someone who has fled homeland and family and the familairity of life.  Important words from Hebrews 13:1-2 instruct us on the following principle: "Let mutual love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it".  What I have learned as I welcome the stranger in my midst is this:  presence is, in fact, more important than presents. We, the body of Christ, have a responsibility to learn to care for the needs of our neighbors.  It begins with a cup of coffee, which leads to a story.  If we listen with our ears only, we learn of different countries, cultures and traditions.  If we listen with our hearts, and take the time to listen (and it does take time!) our hearts can only burst with the love of Christ.  That love gives us the courage to continue listening, to pursue the friendship, and to go deeper in relationships and share what it means to be a Christian, one who chooses to follow Jesus.  So bring on the strangers, Lord Jesus.  We here in Antwerp stand ready to welcome them.  Because in welcoming them into our midst, we also welcome you."

It was an important opportunity ~ to pause to pray, to encourage one another in our journeys towards welcoming the stranger in our midst, and to share a cup of coffee and meet someone new in the English speaking world.  Today, I'm just thankful for the World Day of Prayer!