A Call to Hospitality

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?…And the King will answer them,Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matt 25:37,40

Our long-time Mariners’ description of ourselves is we are a “House of Prayer for All People.” It is a beautiful sentiment that, as far as I can tell, has been part of our identity since Julia Anderson first envisioned our church in 1842. We should ask ourselves then, what does it mean to be for all people? When Jesus speaks in Matthew 25 about the “least of these,” He isn’t offering a poetic saying for our Sunday school lessons. He is telling us that the true outward expression of our faith isn’t found in the height of a bell tower or the beauty of a pipe organ, but in the breadth of our hospitality toward others, including the broken, the hungry, and the forgotten.

Detroit is a city that understands the weight of being “least.” We are a city of survivors, a city that has seen both the heights of industry and the depths of bankruptcy.  Now we are seeing a comeback as a city and as a church, we can’t forget our history. Everyday, as we look around our church building we see the faces of those Jesus called His brothers and sisters. We see the traveler, the transient, and the neighbor who has driven or walked past Mariners’ Church their whole life, but may have never sat with us at a table.

In the Anglican tradition, we are a people of liturgy, which means the “work of the people”. This work doesn’t end when the final “Amen” is said from the Book of Common Prayer. In fact, that is precisely where it begins with our neighbors. When we ask God to set our hearts to obey His commandment to “love God and others”, we are asking for the strength to see the world as He sees it. God does not look at the man on the corner and see a “problem” to be solved. He sees a person of infinite worth, who bears HIS image.

My own ministry journey has taken me from families destroyed by addiction and poverty in 3 cities in the US, to the dirt roads of Rwanda, Belize, and Southeast Asia. I have seen that poverty is not a lack of calories; it is a lack of connection. It is the crushing weight of being unseen. We believe that the greatest gift you can give the “least of these” is not a handout, but a seat at the table. It is the recognition that we are all beggars who have found bread.

Think of our history here at Mariners’. We were founded to serve sailors—men who were often transient, poor, and marginalized by society. Julia Anderson insisted that the church be free to them because she knew those who work the lakes often couldn’t afford what churches, historically, charged as a ‘pew tax’. She understood that the Gospel must be accessible, and the church must be a place where the weary find rest, wash up, and grab a bite. We are the stewards of that radical legacy.

To care for the poor is to acknowledge the tension between our works and God’s grace. We do not serve to earn God’s love; we serve because we have been overwhelmed by it. When we stoop to serve the least, we aren’t performing an act of charity; we are participating in a holy encounter. Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” This is the startling reality: When we feed the hungry, we are feeding Christ. When we welcome the stranger, we are welcoming Jesus, himself.

On May 17 we will do things a little differently for our social hour AFTER THE 8:45 SERVICE.  Instead of being in the Julia Anderson Room, we are going to be outside our front doors (weather permitting) and inviting anyone who wants to join us at our tables.

Let us be the ones who break the bread with joy, and who open our doors and our hearts to our neighbors.  For in their faces we will find the face of Jesus, and in serving them we will truly be a house for all people.

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd 

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THE COMMON TABLE

Join us on May 17 as we host the 8:45 service’s social hour outside the

front doors for The Common Table: Where Neighbors Are No Longer Strangers.

Together, we will enjoy the beauty of the spring season and one another’s

company while extending a warm invitation to our neighbors—those passing

by and those in need—to share in a light meal and fellowship. This stands as an opportunity to live out our call to hospitality, creating a space where all are welcomed.

If you would like to participate in planning or food preparation, please contact Laura Chin at laura@marinerschurchofdetroit.org.