For most of us, a stranger is simply a person we’ve never met before. As awkward as it can be to start a friendship with a newcomer, once we do, the term stranger no longer applies.

But there is a second type of stranger. These people are strangers not just because we don’t yet know them, but because we have an internal barrier stopping us from wanting to know them. There are people around us who, based on our perceptions and assumptions, we label as “different”, “scary”, “untrustworthy” or even “dangerous”. We easily let it become someone else’s job to talk with them because they make us feel uncomfortable.

And yet, we are stuck with the fact that such strangers are all around us, all the time. Every town or city has clusters of ethnic minority groups. There are literally thousands of homeless people sleeping in our streets. Not a day goes by when there isn’t a report on TV or online about the increasing numbers of people fleeing their homelands to find refuge in our country.

Debates continue to rage over how these situations started, and how they can best be resolved. Some argue about how to bring stability to the war-torn or poverty stricken parts of the world. Others are constantly striving to end poverty within our own country. Politicians prepare speeches about what can be done to improve living conditions. Others look for someone to blame because of social inequality.

That’s not what this booklet is about. We haven’t written this to pick sides, debate politics or point the finger. This is about the fact that, right now, there are strangers in our communities. It is also about the fact that, as Christians, we have a responsibility to respond in a certain way. The love of God should motivate us to have a genuine and active concern for the homeless, refugees, outcasts and all strangers, whether we feel comfortable about the idea or not.

But we struggle to love and care for those who are different. It can be because of something simple like their accent, and other times it’s to do with their religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or any number of other things. No matter what the barrier is, God tells us to love and welcome all the people He has created— no matter how different they may appear to be.

Those of us in the church need to take a serious look at how we react when we see a ‘stranger’. What is our default position when we come across a refugee who doesn’t speak ‘our’ language or understand ‘our’ culture, a dishevelled person on the street, a teenager with every possible thing pierced and tattooed, a prostitute, a beggar or someone who seems strange? Do we shudder and shut down in discomfort or fear? Do we, through gritted teeth, try to be nice, even though we feel incredibly awkward? Or do we see these people as God-given opportunities to present His care, His love and the hope of the gospel?

Are we prepared to welcome strangers with biblical hospitality and love, just as God does?