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By Louis Shockley

How do you express a genuine love: the love for the Lord Jesus Christ and the love we have for all who live in God's world with us?

Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Luke Community UMC in Dallas, has written a book titled "Focus, Living the Lord's Prayer," in which his closing chapter "Living the Doxology" includes a section for our lives called "God's Purpose."

Gordon writes: "Our purpose in life is to live for God's Glory and give the world a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is like."

For me, this is the strongest argument for a people of God: that glimpse of what the Kingdom is and what God himself is.

Our joy is that we get to show through our open joy of being and living as people of God what that Kingdom is here on earth.

As people of God, we are eager to show our love for the Kingdom by putting into practice applications of the faith which sets the standard for us.

For us to be proficient in a learned practice, we must be willing to practice what we preach, to do or perform often or even habitually that which we believe.

In Romans 15:7 we get to experience what one of the five practices of the Discipleship Adventure must be: "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." For the Glory of God to shine through us we are to be a welcoming people.

We express this as a denomination by being people that welcome all nonbelievers, seekers, those who are learning the way, as well as those who are members of different faith communities.

We do not ask if they are United Methodists. Moved by the works of John Wesley; we do not ask them if they are liberal and believers in all of the politically correct ways of life. Nor do we ask if they are advocates of the conservatives and stand for all issues that move the world to the right. We do not ask them if they are straight or gay. We do not ask if they are convicted felons or are record-free. We do not hand them a tract with the ten beliefs of a born-again believer.

However, what we would ask is this, "How are you doing," and then we say, "welcome!"

Yes, that is radical hospitality in today's world. Simply being a welcoming face, a welcoming presence, being the face and voice of Jesus in an angst-filled world.

Our church's radical hospitality was put into practice Dec. 11, around 7:30 a.m. A large motor coach pulled up to the side entrance of Asbury. It was filled with members of the choir of the First UMC of Midland, Texas (the home church of President and Mrs. George Bush), who were accompanied by their senior pastor.

With great joy, our hospitality team went to work to provide a big welcome. They offered the visitors breakfast goodies. The choir was then off to the White House to perform in concert for the First Family and invited guests.

Our joy was in seeing their smiles and warm feelings after a welcoming experience that transcended race, political affiliations and culture.

During the weekend of Jan.17 to 20, we the people of God in the metropolitan Washington area will welcome more than 3 million people to witness history being made.

Many of the visitors will just want to be in the environment, the atmosphere - just to be able to say, "I was there."

We as United Methodists are being given an opportunity of a lifetime to join the congregations located in the District of Columbia to practice as people of God one of our basic joys: welcoming the world to God's many houses of prayer and praise as all witness history being made.

This is what we're all called to do - to offer a welcome mat to the world as the world charts its course to experience the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States.

The Rev. Louis Shockley is pastor of Asbury UMC in Washington, D.C. For more information on the welcome he describes, see www.bethechangeyouwanttosee.org .