Dear Friends,

Many of you know that Thomas and I had the wonderful experience of spending some time in London during the week after Easter. And I am happy to report that we were personally greeted by Elizabeth! She could not have been more gracious.

She happened to be sitting in the pew behind us at church on Sunday. As you can probably guess, we were not at the royal chapel at Windsor or at Westminster Abbey. We were at a parish church.  And though her name is Elizabeth, the woman who greeted us  was not of royal descent.

Receiving communion at St. James’s

She was a member of the parish who, at the offering of the peace greeted us with Christ’s reconciling love. When the service was over, she introduced herself to us and welcomed us to St. James’s. In our conversation, we  learned much about her and the parish, which she had been a part of for over 30 years. Among other things, she told us that it was a parish that had struggled with declining membership and significant building problems, but which was growing in numbers and in faith.  Sound familiar?

After our conversation, she ensured that we made our way to the Coffee Hour. There, we were introduced to several other folks, greeted by the clergy present that day, and reminded in ways both subtle and significant that we were welcome as brothers in Christ amidst their gathering.

No, I did not have a chance to see or meet the Queen. But I was greeted by Elizabeth. What a gift that was.  I thanked God for her that day. And my prayer for us is that each of us will demonstrate that kind of hospitality whenever someone is sitting in front of us, behind us, or beside us. It is among the simplest and most significant things we can do.

Faithfully,

Tom