Wednesday, October 21, 2026

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” (Matthew 25:43, New Living Translation)

                 Among various articles on pumpkin spice, hiking trails and Italian wines in the Life section of the Globe today was an intriguing one entitled “Talking to Strangers.” (Erin Anderssen) This is something many of us, including myself, are not very good at, engaging someone we don’t know in a friendly, meaningful and interesting way. I have never been very good at small talk. I am quite introverted. I can be shy in the midst of strangers in a crowd and wait to be engaged rather than take the initiative myself. As a pastor, I had to work very intentionally to speak to guests and strangers in my church. I am not alone. “Instead, we pass each other by, eyes averted, heads crooked toward screens, missing out on the everyday greetings and more meaningful interactions that boost well-being and create safer, more caring communities.”

                I bet you didn’t know that November 23rd to the 29^th is “Talk to a Stranger Week,”  “to challenge Canadians to get more chatty on the bus, at the dog park, in passing on the street.” Apparently, it is becoming a movement around the world, known by many names,  inspiring and urging us to be more deliberately connected to each other. “A growing number of places have started campaigns, events and programs to kickstart those conversations.”  It is so easy for so many  to hide behind secret and anonymous Twitter accounts and the like and be cowardly judgmental, nasty and critical with no accountability. But this movement towards strangers offers a healthier and more personal solution to the isolation, the loneliness and the alienation that exists all around us. “Around the world, there’s a sense that humanity generally needs a neighbourly tune-up.”

                A simple “Watcha doing?” can start an interesting conversation with a stranger. One is not trying to start a life-long friendship necessarily but simply it is a way of expanding one’s connections and thereby broaden one’s understanding and appreciation of others.  We may be pleasantly surprised to find our biases, prejudices, opinions and assumptions melt away because we have taken a little extra time to have a conversation with someone we didn’t know before. I have worked hard to get to know names and some of the stories of the people and even their dogs in our apartment building. It has helped me feel part of a community. I hope that I am also giving something back in return.

                We may never invite strangers into our homes like Jesus said. Sadly, we live in dangerous times when there are unscrupulous people who might try to take advantage of our friendliness. Yet, this caveat does not exempt us from showing kindness, compassion, understanding, tolerance and patience towards strangers around us. Life is too short to waste it on judgment, criticism, hatred, prejudice and exclusionism.  It bothers me immensely how immigrants are generally being treated here in North America, as some sort of scourge almost. It is unwarranted by and large. If you get to know their stories just a little bit, they are as every bit like “us” as anyone. “In real life, strangers are far less dangerous, significantly more honest and much happier to chat with us than we believe – and than crime TV and social media suggest.”

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2) Jesus, of course, is the “angel” in the room in his own parable. What we do for others, we have done for him. So, smile and say hello, at least; ask how they are doing if you get a chance; learn their names; shake their hand, perhaps; hear their story if they wish to share it.  Just be Jesus to one and all!

 

Prayer:

O God, our for-ever Friend, you have opened your Kingdom to all and invited us to enjoy your Sacred Hospitality. You grace us with your Love without discrimination or preference.  Help us, O Lord, to reach out to others with the same focus as Jesus Christ, to love with compassion and righteousness any and all who cross our path. May we see Jesus in the face of each and every stranger. In Jesus’ name, Amen.