Yesterday, 30 Jan, Brenda and I "attended" the virtual funeral of a friend of ours, Sam R. Sam was a month shy of 73 when he died. He had come to know the Christ at age 53. The "Going Home Celebration" was neat in that it was attended "live" by over 100 people, and more interesting, these attendees were scattered around the world--literally.
What makes Sam's life noteworthy? Sam was not famous in the usual sense of that word. He was a quiet man, small in stature, who was never a brilliant theologian, singer, song-writer, poet, or preacher. He and his wonderful wife Kathy, simply opened their home to host dinner one evening every week of Fall and Spring Semester to International students. The local Navigators International group would invite students to gather at Sam and Kathy's, and many would attend. Sadly COVID brought that to a close in March of 2020, but by that time they had hosted thousands of students in their home for the breaking of bread together.
Person after person testified that Sam was always greeting everyone with a warm smile and warm welcome. Foreigners felt comfortable around him, and appreciated his warm manner. They understood, without words being said, that Sam loved them and was happy to host them and spend time with them.
Who can't do that?
Then why don't we?
Sam's simple example should inspire us. Let us all endeavor to smile, to welcome the stranger, to quietly communicate our love and G^d's love to them.
Let's all try to be more like Sam.
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