John Ortberg tells a story of a poor traveler who stopped at a monastery one night and was amazed at the welcome he received there. They served him a lavish meal, escorted him to their finest room, and gave him a new set of clothes to replace the rags he was in. Before leaving, he commented on the amazing treatment he received. "Yes," they said, "we always treat our guests as if they are angels - just to be on the safe side."
I have often contemplated the fact that I have never come in contact with another person for whom Christ did not die.
This means every human being ought to be treated with dignity, lavish love and attention. I have had the opportunity to work with extremely poor and extremely wealthy people. In either case, they simply wanted to be treated like people regardless of their status.
If there is anywhere that these boundaries ought to be broken down, it is in the church, where there is "neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
