我到住家附近的大賣場裡選購玄關踏墊，發現踏墊上印了不同的字樣，例如：「你好！」；「家」（中間還畫了愛心）。我選購比較普通的踏墊，上面印著「歡迎」。回到家擺好踏墊之後，我捫心自問，我的家真的像上帝所希望的那樣歡迎訪客嗎？我會歡迎那些為學校的活動而上門兜售巧克力的孩子嗎？會歡迎有需要的鄰居？會歡迎在外地居住的家人臨時起意來家中作客嗎？

馬可福音第9章記載耶穌在山上改變形象，彼得、雅各和約翰看見了，因耶穌神聖的臨在而深感敬畏（1-13節）。下山之後，耶穌醫治了一個被鬼附身而讓父親絕望的孩子（14-29節），接著祂私下告訴門徒祂即將受死（30-32節），但門徒卻根本不明白祂的意思（33-34節）。為此，耶穌將一個小孩抱在膝上，說：「凡為我名接待一個像這小孩子的，就是接待我；凡接待我的，不是接待我，乃是接待那差我來的」（37節）。這裡的接待意為歡迎和接受訪客。耶穌希望門徒歡迎所有人，甚至是被人輕視和給你帶來不便的人，就像歡迎祂一樣。

此時，我想到我那印著「歡迎」的踏墊，思索著如何將上帝的愛傳給別人。這得從歡迎耶穌這位貴客開始。我會讓祂帶領我，以祂希望的方式歡迎別人嗎？

Browsing through the doormats displayed in my local big box store, I noted the messages stamped on their surfaces. “Hello!” “Home” with a heart for the “o.” And the more customary one I chose, “Welcome.” Putting it in place at home, I checked my heart. Was my home really welcoming the way God desires it to be? To a child selling chocolate for a school project? A neighbor in need? A family member from out of town who called on the spur of the moment?

In Mark 9, Jesus moves from the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John stood in awe of His holy presence (vv. 1-13), to healing a possessed boy with a father who’d lost hope (vv. 14-29). Jesus then offered private lessons to the disciples concerning His upcoming death (vv. 30-32). They missed His point—badly (vv. 33-34). In response, Jesus took a child atop His lap saying, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (v. 37). The word welcome here means to receive and accept as a guest. Jesus wants His disciples to welcome all, even the undervalued and the inconvenient as if we were welcoming Him.

I thought of my welcome mat and wondered how I extend His love to others. It starts by welcoming Jesus as a treasured guest. Will I permit Him to lead me, welcoming others the way He desires?