Shuffler came through our church doors one morning during coffee hour. Everyone pretended not to see him and his companion, Smiley. Shuffler and Smiley were different. Their clothes were a bit dissheveled, they were rough around the edges, they didn't fit in here. While we pray each week for new people to come through the doors, these are not the type of new people the congregation meant.
Nonetheless, Shuffler and Smiley said "please" and "thank you" as they received the warmed up with some coffee and a treat. Nobody approached them. In fact, everyone avoided them. I noticed this and my heart sank.
After a few minutes, I walked over and introduced myself to Shuffler and Smiley. We had a wonderful conversation. All eyes in the room were on the 3 of us. After Shuffler and Smiley left, I was inundated with questions, "Who are those people?" "Why don't they worship with us?" "Did they really just come for free coffee?!" "Where do they live? Why were they here?" My response was simple: "Oh, Shuffler and Smiley? They are great folks - you should introduce yourself next time they come." If the questions persisted, I responded, "I know the answer but you should ask Shuffler and Smiley directly. They'd enjoy talking with you."
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