There is an instructive story regarding Gandhi when he was studying at Oxford as a student. He had been inspired by the reading of the Gospel. On a walk one day he passed a little English village church, and he thought that he would go in and pray. As he was about to go in the vicar came to the door. He is said to have asked Gandhi if he was a Christian. Gandhi said he was not at which point the vicar said, “Well, you cannot come in here.” I wonder what might have happened if the vicar had been more Christ-like and welcoming to Gandhi? 

Like Ghandi, many young people today consider themselves religious, but not necessarily churchgoers. They think of themselves as seekers. A seeker is someone who is genuinely seeking truths, seeking God, seeking a spiritual path, but they often don’t have a place to do it from. They don’t have a tradition or a church that they claim as their spiritual home.

How important it is, then, that all churches be welcoming, open to questions, non-dogmatic and humble. If we are living as true disciples of Jesus, we would naturally attract those seekers and be recognized as being worthy of that attraction.

Jesus interacted with people who were among the most despised and rejected of his time — tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and “sinners” of all kinds. His only criteria for giving his time and teaching were that they be sincere seekers of the truth.

His message was quite simple. Love the lord and love thy neighbor as thyself. When asked to describe one’s neighbor, he told the parable of the “Good Samaritan.” Briefly, the story tells of a man beaten by thieves and left for dead. Two churchmen ignored the man went on their way. It was a Samaritan who stopped to help the man. Important to this story is the fact that Samaritans and Jews were not on friendly terms at that time. They did not like each other. So, Jesus’ use of a Samaritan in his parable would have made an indelible point — our neighbors are not always who we expect them to be. One never knows where help may come from when we need it and we should never fail to administer help to those in need.

I find this parable most interesting when thinking about Gandhi’s experience when he wanted to learn more about Christianity. Imagine if the vicar in that story had acted more like the “Good Samaritan” and welcomed him inside?

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Charles Wellington is a lifelong student of the teachings of Christ Jesus and regularly meditates with the Great Plains Zen Center in Monroe.