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In Hebrews 13, the writer issues the call to hospitality:
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also.

Christ's compassion will yield a welcoming spirit.  If we take our eyes off ourselves, we can develop a desire, fueled by the Spirit, to minister to others.  We saw it at 9/11, which we commemorated yesterday.  We have seen it regarding the Harvey victims; and now, in our own backyard, we can look for ways to reach out to those who have been adversely affected by Irma.  The existence of crisis gives us the chance to demonstrate the love of Christ.

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Leviticus 19 states a Biblical principle about welcoming the stranger:
33 'And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.
34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

They're here!

That could have been the declaration to the people of Gander, Newfoundland some 16 years ago. You see, Gander is not an especially large town, but it has an international airport that was established to provide a refueling stop for Transatlantic planes.

But, on September 11, it performed another purpose - a landing place for planes that could not land in America in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Maybe you saw the piece from USA Today in the Montgomery Advertiser.  It featured retiring Mayor Claude Elliott, who said that, "To see how our people came through on 9/11 is one of the greatest moments in my tenure as mayor..." There were 6,700 people on 38 planes that came to Gander.

MentalFloss.com reports:

The tiny town only boasted 10,000 residents, but what it lacked in population size, it more than made up for in airport capacity. Gander International Airport had previously served as a refueling stop for transatlantic flights and had served as a staging point for U-boat hunting flights during World War II. Gander ended up receiving 38 flights in the wake of the September 11th attacks, second only to Halifax’s 47 diverted flights.

The article states:

When Elliott became mayor in 1996, no one imagined the town — or the mayor himself — would someday be the subject of the Tony award-winning musical Come From Away inspired by Gander's kindness and generosity. Nor did anyone expect Elliott would become a spokesman for Gander on the world stage.

"I have been all across Canada, the U.S. I've been over to Europe. That's something I'm proud of," he says. "I gave this community the best representation I could give it."

Back in 2001, Gander's population was less than 10,000. Now, with about 13,000 residents, it's nearly twice as big as when its residents first elected Elliott to council 27 years ago, but — surprise — he says the growth isn't due to anything he did.

"It's about teamwork," he says.

That teamwork is illustrated in another USA Today article, which describes the hospitality that was shown by the residents of the town.  Local business manager Linda Sweetapple said, "We did not know how we would be affected, if these people were staying, if the people who were coming were good people or not so good people,” adding, “We just knew that we had to make room for them and take care of them. They were here, and they needed our help.”

The article relates:

As the planes, still packed with passengers, sat for hours at the airport, the town bustled with activity. Volunteers readied makeshift shelters — every school, gym, community center, church and camp, any place that could fit a planeload of people. Gander’s 500 hotel rooms were reserved for pilots and flight crews. 

Bus drivers in the middle of a nasty strike laid down picket signs. Donations of toiletries, clothes, toys, towels, toothbrushes, pillows, blankets and bedding piled up. For security reasons, passengers weren’t allowed to take checked bags. 

Gander residents began cooking — a lot. Grocery store shelves went bare. The Walmart ran out of nearly everything — underwear was a particularly hot commodity — and the local hockey rink transformed into the world’s largest refrigerator.

“It was like casserole city,” says Reg Wright, 43, president and CEO of Gander International Airport.

This story really provides a wonderful picture of charity and hospitality.  And, the fact that the events of that time period are the basis for a Broadway musical gives the opportunity for this story to be told and for people to be inspired.

Now, there is not an explicit faith angle here, although, we do read that the churches opened up as shelters, and I would hope that there were some people motivated by faith who participated in this excellent work.  But, it does give a challenge to the Christian community.

I was sharing about the pre-eminence of Christ as I spoke this past Sunday at Babbie Baptist Church in South Alabama; and what a wonderful, welcoming time my wife and I had with that congregation. I talked about Christ in our character, in the church, in our communities, and in our crises.  I asked if there was anyone in the service who was taking refuge from Irma, and actually a couple of people raised their hands!

You know, there are many in the Faith Radio broadcast area today who have traveled to our area to escape the fury of Irma.  Generally speaking, there may be people sent to our churches who are seeking assistance - the question is "are we ready?"  When they come, are we prepared in our hearts and actions to show hospitality?

The Bible contains references to welcoming the stranger.  I think of my conversation with the author of the book, The Refugee, Jalil Dawood of World Refugee Care.  As I remember, he referenced the President's refugee policy - he pointed out there are already those among us who are refugees. There will be people who come into our churches and our communities, and we can be challenged to look for ways to serve them.  Our willingness to be hospitable shows our dedication to radiating the character of Christ.

And, in our welcoming, we can also seek opportunities to speak truth.  There will be people who don't know Him and we don't turn people away because they are not Christians or who are not walking the Christian walk.  In our actions, we show compassion; in our words, perhaps we can provide instruction and inspiration for people to walk in His ways.