A long time ago, I spent two years working as College Secretary at St Stephen’s House. My office was down the corridor from the Chapel and in my first few months there, I became aware of the ordinands going in for Evening Prayer at the end of each day. One day I decided to attend. I walked in, and one of the ordinands found me a stall and helped me with the books. As I sat down, I felt something completely unexpected. I felt, in a very physical way, that I had taken my place. I was welcome. The ordinands kept that same stall for me for whenever I could attend.

The word “welcome” comes from Old English: wilcuma, or “a person whose coming is pleasing.” The church is meant to be a place of welcome: each person who comes should be pleasing to us. However, church is also difficult. One friend’s response to Ephesians Ch. 4 v. 32 (“be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other”) was, “Yeah, right, get real.” We are not always welcome with each other, we do not always like each other, we may find each other displeasing.

But there is something about arriving at a church service, taking our place in a pew and settling our minds for worship which recalls us to God and to each other, even if our only motivation for turning up is stubbornness and pride. Perhaps one way into this is the verse in Ephesians which precedes v.32. V.31 says, “Put away from you all bitterness.” There is strength in the phrase, “Put away,” a deliberate choice to lay the difficulties aside as we prepare for worship.

We are welcome with God, always, no matter what. John Ch.14 v. 2: “My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” But this isn’t quite the final word. God asks us to remember that all others are welcome too, always, no matter what: an immeasurably better reality than anything we could ask for or imagine.