Being Jesus at the Doorway

When you see someone you don’t know—a complete stranger—what goes through your mind? 

Do you think to offer them a chair, to make them feel at home? Do you have the courage to ask them a question? To step closer and make the first move?

How would you feel if you walked into a completely new place where you didn't know a single soul? What if you had to gather every ounce of your courage just to step through that unfamiliar door?

What if that person was you? And what if that place was a church—a brand-new adventure where you are a total stranger to everyone?

Now, imagine carrying a few extra burdens in your backpack: a run of bad luck along the way, a lack of trust in others, no money, worn-out clothes, and choices that went sideways. Add to that a few deeply traumatic experiences that are still fresh in your mind. Perhaps there is also disappointment, mistakes, addictions, shame, and a past that has left visible marks on your skin. You feel different. You are terrified that you’ve been branded forever, and that grace is meant for everyone else—but not for you. That lie pounds in your head day and night, and you can’t silence it on your own.

Yet, somehow, you have dragged yourself to that building. Something about it calls you to give it a try. To try Jesus... because people say He helps. And you’ve already tried everything else.

Maybe you were once the one standing in that hallway. But now, it’s your turn to be by the door, opening it for others. Opening it for travelers who come from afar, exhausted from the journey, longing for someone to care, to listen—just to have a human being by their side.

Are we the kind of people who know how to look at the heart? Can we look past the tattered clothes and the external scars, right into the depths where a person simply longs to connect? Where they crave rest, grace, and Jesus’ core message of freeing, unconditional love?

Will you open the door? Will you pull up a chair? Will you grab a cup of coffee and just stay by their side?

With all my heart, I hope to see those exact moments—where person meets person, and we do exactly what Jesus taught us: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me."

Are you ready to look at the heart when you see a new traveler pausing in our shared hallway, hesitating to come inside? We want everyone to come and feel they belong, so that the light can grow as our shared love ignites more and more hearts for Jesus.