By Van Yandell
Leviticus 19: 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
We’ve had cats; many, many cats. Three in particular were: Callie, also known as “The Kitten Factory”; Nuisance, appropriately named; and Goldie, alias, Miss Prolific.
When living on the farm, they roamed the fields and woods and, in general, enjoyed their carefree lifestyle. We referred to them collectively as “the herd.” We measured cat-size as numbers one through ten and bowl sizes by the number of cat heads that could drink milk from one bowl (e.g., a four cat-head bowl).
They were all named, petted and shown affection few husbands ever receive. Any time one of the “family” did not come in at their usual time, Margie and I were on the Honda trail bike, riding the woods and fields looking. Usually they were laid up asleep, stalking a field mouse or chasing a blowing leaf.
Following a mission assignment in Seville, Spain we rented a car and drove to Algeciras to take a ship across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco in North Africa. Spotting items that are a little different is a habit and the markets were full of such oddities. Such an item I thought I “had to have” was a camel hide ottoman. It was handmade and artistically painted in traditional Middle Eastern art. The stool was not filled and was folded for transporting home.
When we returned to the U.S., the camel leather stool was filled and placed in the TV room. One day soon, very soon, six of the cats caught the door open and ran into the house. Goldie led the pack with five of her kittens toward the refrigerator (by now #6 cats except for Who-Do, a solid #7), to form a line looking up at the refrigerator door as if to say, “Where are you, human? Get over here, NOW!”
Suddenly, they scotched up their paws and had this very strange look on their faces. Cats can and do have facial expressions and their looks of bewilderment were obvious.
They very cautiously approached the footstool. Their backs arched up and the hair on their backs bristled. A low, guttural growl came from them and the caution they demonstrated was clearly obvious. Goldie sent the kittens in first but she was close behind.
They slowly circled the footstool as the Indians circling a wagon train in an old western movie.
They had never before smelt a camel and apparently the tanning of the leather had not destroyed the well- defined odor of the camel. This new odor alerted them to a state of caution rarely seen. I could not detect the aroma their heightened sense of smell revealed.
The camel smell now is apparently gone because The Bearcat likes to sleep on the stool and he never indicates there is a problem of any kind.
Scientists tell us animals have abundant and diverse assortments of peripheral sensors. In addition to visual differences and odors, their ability to sense certain future events such as weather anomalies and earthquakes is also a physical reaction.
As humans (Genesis 1: 27) we have no rational excuse for not noticing the obvious. Should we not open our eyes, look around, put down the phone, etc. and look and listen? Instead we are often oblivious to the events and the people around us, especially in church.
Just as the cats immediately perceived something different, shouldn’t church members, including staff, immediately notice visitors? We have visited many churches and often discuss the service afterwards, especially the “friendliness ratio.” We are told church attendance in America and much of the rest of the world is declining. One has to ask “why” is this happening?
The “why” in this case is an inwardly directed question. Are perception and responsibility directly related? In the case of a church being welcoming to visitors/guests, of course they are! We must pay attention to new faces and receive them in a friendly, hospitable manner, much like we would in our home.
With education and technology being what they are, shouldn’t people be smarter and more observant, not the opposite? I full well understand, some people, especially men, don’t notice things as we should in a perfect world. But I can’t help but wonder how many people have gone to a church for the first time, been totally ignored, and never returned. Should the visitor/guest be the one making the effort?
Now I would never imply my cats are smarter or more observant than some church members but obvious is obvious. For anyone to sit in a church most every Sunday and not have a burden for the unsaved or unchurched may as well be on the golf course.
The cats sensed something different by the odor of the camel hide ottoman. Shouldn’t Christians be alert and aware of visitors in their church, witnessing opportunities or situations/conditions in the community that a Christian influence might serve to correct?
Sometimes we simply must pay attention to what’s going on around us. When entering a restaurant, many prefer a table close to an exit. At political or religious meetings, in the current social climate, many look to see where the exits are. In a hotel, if not preferably on the ground floor, the exit is always located.
Shouldn’t church members exhibit a similar vigilance concerning others? Might it be possible to consciously look around for unfamiliar faces and greet them?
Because of my life style, I may not be in my regular church for a few weeks or even months. To see someone that I haven’t seen before, I’m reluctant to say to them, “Welcome.” In many cases they may have been in attendance more than I have.
I do, however, feel comfortable saying, “Have we met?” or “I haven’t been here for a while. I don’t believe we’ve met.” Regardless of how we anticipate someone may respond, it is best to make contact with those we haven’t seen before, some way, some how.
As often as we may find ourselves in unfamiliar situations, like the cats and the camel footstool, a response may be warranted. A church situation is akin to many other of life’s experiences. Sometimes we just have to “test the water” to determine what to do next.
Every situation is different and the people are all different. Our priority must be to welcome visitors into our churches. Jesus founded the church (Matthew 16: 16-18) and He gave us the assignment to win others to Him (Matthew 28: 18-20). It is so obvious when we go into a church where the congregation has been instructed in the welcoming of visitors.
Many times I’ve gone into a church to preach a revival or fill the pulpit. My wife was with me. What could you (as a member of a church) have done to acknowledge her presence? Or, was it up to me or to her to take the initiative? You decide.
Our challenge: (to myself as well), in church this Sunday, make an intentional, conscious effort to look around. If we see someone we haven’t seen before, go, introduce yourself and welcome them. This is not rocket science and we should be a little further along on the intelligence scale than the cats. Don’t ignore visitors if we care about HIS Kingdom! And if you go to Tangier, buy something made of camel hide for your cats. A lesson can be learned.
Romans 10: 9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts (shop) teacher, a commissioned Christian missionary and an ordained gospel evangelist.
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VAN YANDELL
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Cats and camels
