This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached on Sunday, July 2. The gospel reading was Matthew 10:40-42. You can view a video of the sermon here.

It’s a very short gospel reading today, just three verses. But in this little gospel reading, I find there is a deep question, an amazing bit of good news, and a challenge.

First, the question. What are the rewards that Jesus is talking about? Jesus mentions a prophet’s reward. He mentions the reward of the righteous. He mentions the reward that someone who gives a cup of cold water to a disciple will receive. What are these rewards?

Well, first off, it sounds like these are different tiers of rewards. Prophet’s rewards, they’re probably first tier. Then there are the rewards of the righteous. Hmm…righteous people are good, but maybe not as good as prophets. So that’s second tier. And then there’s the reward for everyday people, you know, the cup-of-cold-water folks. That’s third tier. You still get something, but not as good as the others.

But something’s wrong with that. As Lutherans, we proclaim God’s grace above all else. We proclaim that Christ has won the victory over sin and death once and for all, and that we receive that gift of grace through faith. We proclaim that everything is a gift! The kingdom of God is not a reward for good behavior or right thinking – the kingdom of God is a gift, a free gift of God’s grace. And as a free gift, there can’t be tiers of rewards. God’s grace, God’s kingdom, is a gift given to all of us equally, no matter our status or place in life. I don’t get more grace or more kingdom than you because I’m a pastor, or less for that matter. Grace is grace. The kingdom of God is open to all.

In fact, does it even make sense to think of this as a reward? If we receive something from God dependent on things that we do, then it’s not really grace, is it?

Okay, let’s look at the question from a different angle. Let’s back up. Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Whoever welcomes Jesus also welcomes at the same time God the Father. And we can see why, because we proclaim that Jesus is the incarnation of God in the world. The Father is in him, and he is in the Father. So when you behold Jesus, you are also beholding God the Father. Jesus is the perfect representative of the Father.

And then it gets interesting. Jesus then said to the twelve apostles, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me.” Jesus is telling them that just as he is the perfect representative of the Father, so the apostles are representatives of Jesus. When you behold the apostles, you are beholding Jesus. And that’s amazing. We know that these apostles were not perfect people. Their faith was often weak. They didn’t understand a lot of things all that well. Yet Jesus told them that they are his representative. That just as the Father is in him, he is in them. He is visibly present in them. To the point that if somebody welcomes them, they are welcoming him.

That was a huge responsibility. And a huge privilege. And, I think, a huge reward. Imagine being one of those apostles. Imagine Jesus telling you that he is in you, and that he is sending you to share him with the world. Jesus trusts you with that. Think about how humbling and powerful and meaningful that would be for you.

I think the apostles were probably so amazed by that opportunity, by that privilege, by that trust. The promise that Jesus himself was within them. What better reward would there be?

And that’s my answer to the question, “What are these rewards?” I think a prophet’s reward is the reward of being a prophet. The reward of having God’s very words on their lips. I think the reward of the righteous is the reward of being a righteous person. The reward of having God’s very heart beating within them. The prophets and the righteous have received their reward, the reward of God calling them to that life. And it’s not that one reward is better than another, they’re just different, based on who you are and what God is calling you to. The reward is the presence of God that comes from the work itself. So much for the question.

I said there are three things in this gospel, and the second is an amazing bit of good news.

The good news is that we too get these rewards. We all do. Now I don’t think many of us here would identify ourselves as a prophet, or even as a righteous person. We’re just not that important, not that great, not that special.

And yet – I get this reward too, and so do you. Listen to Jesus’ words. Whoever welcomes a prophet receives a prophet’s reward. Whoever welcomes a righteous person receives the reward of the righteous. Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to a disciple receives the reward.

And that means that your work is important, whatever that work is. It means that whatever you do to welcome another disciple of Christ is exactly as important as what they do. It means that you too receive their reward, which means that Jesus is present in you just as much as he is in them.

Our callings are all different. We are not all called to be a prophet, or to be a righteous person, whatever that might mean. But we are all called to welcome one another. And it is by welcoming one another that we welcome Jesus, and by welcoming Jesus that we welcome God, and by welcoming God that we receive the reward we are promised. This is the reward of having the presence of God within us. And that is the reward of a meaningful and abundant life.

By welcoming other people, trusting that God is within them, seeking and serving Christ within them, we live out the grace we’ve been given. And there are so many ways to welcome people. Don’t worry – it’s not just for extroverts!

Some of us are good at welcoming people by feeding them. Some of us are good at welcoming people by listening to them. Some of us welcome people by smiling. Some of us welcome people by offering a cup of cold water. One way I welcome people is by making the time for sermon and worship preparation, and trying to make worship a welcome place for you. We welcome people whenever we show them that we see them, and that we take them seriously. There is a way of welcoming that is natural to you. And when you do it, you receive the reward.

That’s the good news. So we’ve seen the question, and the good news. And I also said there is a challenge.

The challenge I see here is simple: welcome people. Welcome people, in whatever particular way you are welcoming. God has equipped you to welcome, and calls you to do it.

And whom do we welcome? Everyone. Everyone. Because we never know who might be a prophet, or who might be a righteous person. Everyone, because we believe that God is in everyone. Everyone, because whenever we welcome someone we receive the reward of doing God’s work, the reward that God is present in us.

This week, welcome family, and friends, and strangers. This week, welcome people who are not like you. This week, welcome people who are nice, and people who are grumpy. This week, welcome people you don’t like. You don’t have to like everyone. You don’t have to approve of everyone. But welcome them. See them for who they are, a child of God. Receive them as a child of God, and receive the reward.

Image by André Santana AndreMS from Pixabay