URC Daily Devotion 16 December 2025
St Matthew 10: 40 – 42
Jesus said: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Reflection
My neighbours are Muslims – Kurds from Turkey – and speak very little English. Occasionally the doorbell will ring and Fatima will pass me a plate of food cooked on their barbecue. She wants nothing in return, though she is rather pleased when I resurrect my minimal Turkish sufficiently to say “tesekkur ederim”.
I write this reflection as the news and social media teem with news of England flags suddenly appearing on flag posts and roundabouts. There’s nothing wrong with this per se, of course, but it currently feels tarnished with the undertones of a hostile welcome to those from overseas seeking sanctuary or a home in the UK. By contrast, this reading from St Matthew reminds me that one of the foundations of our faith, and our Christian practice, is the holy habit of hospitality.
Hospitality is the calling of every follower of Jesus. It is made clear here that you don’t even have to have a lot to share – even offering a cup of water is hospitality in the sight of God. Should our hospitality be directed only towards those of the same faith or ethnicity as us? No. Paul reminds us that whenever we give hospitality to strangers we may be entertaining angels unawares. And in Leviticus we read, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.”
Jesus calls us to counter the xenophobia and social isolation of the time, even if only in small ways. What could the equivalent be? Maybe a smile to the person sitting next to you on the bus, a friendly word in the queue for the supermarket checkout, a suspended coffee at your favourite coffee shop. Maybe taking the trouble to learn a few words of another language to share a greeting. Let’s claim God’s country back!
Prayer
God of all,
help us to be a people of welcome,
of hospitality,
of generosity;
putting the needs of others before our own
and seeing not strangers, but siblings we have yet to know.
Let our reward be the building of relationship,
the joy of a shared smile or seeing another thrive,
and the knowledge that in welcoming them, we welcome you.
Amen