You all look lovely today! I see a wide variety of colors that reminds me of a beautiful bouquet. Unfortunately, about 1 in every 12 males are color blind, as compared to only 1 in every 200 females. So many of the brethren in the congregation may not be able to appreciate this beautiful sight.

 Therefore, I am asking all the people who can see all their colors well, to go about and find someone wearing something that matches the color you are wearing and give them a warm and welcoming greeting.

The bible mentioned about 14 different occasions when Jesus ate with other people.[1] Jesus understood the importance of eating together and he took advantage of any situation he could find to break bread. This is to reach people socially so he could also reach them spiritually. Jesus also fasted for forty days and said that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Jesus made it clear that both spiritual food and physical food are important in our life. And both can help us to draw others closer to knowing God. That is why, today, you will be sharing your food.

I want each person to get up from their seat and greet three (3) people. You can share either a bible verse that you really love(spiritual food), or invite someone to join you for lunch next week (physical food).

[1] https://jesusalive.cc/ques476.htm

Greeting traditions vary across world cultures and across time. In the New Testament bible times, the phrase "Greet one another with a holy kiss" is mentioned five times. Even Jesus complained to Simon and said, "I came into your house, and you did not give me a kiss." This act was called the kiss of peace.

Here are seven other unusual greetings from across the world.

1. In Tibet: To say hello to you, the people of Tibet stick their tongues out.
2. New Zealand. They greet visitors (not each other) with a gesture called hongi. They do it by closing their eyes and gently touching foreheads and noses together.
3. In Spain, when you greet, you kiss on the cheek. Twice.
4. In Thailand, the traditional Thai greeting is called Wai. You press your palms together (as if praying), and slightly bow your head.
5. In Japan, you bow. Generally, the deeper the bow, the more you respect the other person.
6. In Yemen and Oman people bring their noses together for a few friendly taps
7. On the island of Tuvalu, pressing cheeks together and taking a deep breath is part of a traditional Polynesian welcome for visitors.

Today, whether you choose to use a handshake, smile or a cultural greeting, make the person beside you know that you are happy to see them today.

Happy Sabbath one and all,
Welcome to Church again,
If God has been good to you
Let me hear you shout, Amen!
 
That Amen was a bit weak
You should roar like the lion of Judah,
If you are grateful for the breath of life
Please shout out Hallelujah
 
That was a much better
You almost had me floored
Now Lift the roof off this Church
And Shout out, praise the Lord!
 
Now turn to the person next to you
And compliment their style
Say: Jesus Loves and So do I
Then end it with a smile
 
Welcome to Church one and all
I hope you'll come again
For this is where you can find the Lord
And Make Jesus Christ your friend
 

The Baby Boomer generation often complains about the attitude and behavior of Millennials. They say, "back in my day, we never did things the way they do them." In the meantime, Millenials will say, "Their methods are old and dated, it's time for a change."

It may not be that one way is correct and the other one incorrect, but each generation will have their personal preference. However, we must all work together to bring glory to God. Amen!

Our worship is much better when we can embrace the best aspects of all generations. The grandparents of the Millenials were known as Traditionalists or the Silent Generation. We probably grew up hearing them sing songs like 

<Sing the chorus from a popular song in the Old Hymnal>

The parents of the Millenials; the Baby Boomers enjoy singing this song

<Sing the chorus from a popular song in the New SDA Hymnal> 

Millennials might enjoy singing songs not found in the hymnal.

<Sing the chorus of a popular song from a Christian gospel singer> 

Children of Millenials who fall in Generation Z would enjoy a song like this:

<Sing the chorus of a popular children song or a very recent song from a Christian gospel singer> 

Playfully ask: Which song was better?

To our visitors, whichever generation you find yourself in, God welcomes your praise. And we welcome you into the House of the Lord today. We pray that you continue to come and worship with us, so together, we can lift our voices and give God all the praise. Welcome!

Can I see the hands of persons who visited the house of a loved one recently?

What was the first thing that made you feel good when you entered their house?

For me, it's the moment my loved one looks at me with a smile and says, "<use your name>, welcome. I am so happy you decided to come!"

(Say jokingly: they could also ask me what I would like to eat because I love to eat)

Today is the Sabbath day, and we have some lovely visitors with us in the house of the Lord. Let us make them feel at home!

We want each person to turn to the person sitting next to you, smile, hug them and say: "Friend, Oh Friend, we welcome you, and we are happy you decided to come."

To our wonderful visiting friends, it is essential to feel at home where you choose to worship, and we are thankful you chose <name of the church>

But it is even more important to develop a saving relationship with Christ our God, so your heart is His home always.

WELCOME.

Today I am here to welcome all our visitors and members into the house of the Lord. The church is a place of learning, and I hope to teach you something new today.

In Spanish or Español, "Welcome" is translated as Bienvenida (female), Bienvenido (male)

Turn to your neighbor and practice saying it

In Japanese welcome is translated as Yōkoso pronounced: yo-koso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZSX7M_XNM

In Hindi welcome is translated as Swaagat pronounced swaa-gat

In Dutch, welcome is translated as Welkom. This is pronounced the same in English.

Which translation do you remember?

Let us put it to the test. Yes, you are going to do your oral language test on the Sabbath Day.

We invite the congregation to stand and go around the church and welcome someone using one of the languages learned today.

To our visiting friends, we welcome you and pray that you will open your hearts and minds to the lessons Christ has for you today

Welcome!

Today as I look into the congregation and see so many beautiful colors, I can understand God a bit more. God is our Creator, and he created each of us unique with different features but all beautiful.

 
In the natural environment, God created many species of flowers with different colors, shapes, sizes, and purposes.
Today, looking at the congregation makes me feel like I have entered a beautiful garden. Each person in church today is arrayed in their unique color that adds to the variety and diversity of this beautiful church. 

I want to invite each person to seek out someone wearing the same color as you are and give them a warm welcome.
I welcome you into the house of the Lord.
 

David said he rejoiced with the people when they said on to him; come into the house of the Lord. Today is a day of rejoicing because we are privileged to be in the house of the Lord.

Today, we may see persons we haven't seen or spoken to all week. We may see some persons we haven't seen in a long time. We may be seeing persons we have never seen before. Regardless of when you have last seen them, let us rejoice with our brothers and sisters because we have the opportunity to come into the house of the Lord.

Today my job is to welcome you into God's house. I wish I could come and hug each person I see but, that isn't possible in the given time. I ask the congregation to stand and sing Psalms 100 as we go around the church and welcome everyone into the house of the Lord with rejoicing.

I have some words of wisdom for the church coming directly from the bible.

W- Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him Philippians 2:29

E- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4

L- Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:1,2

C- Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13

O- O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. Psalms 34:3

M- May you be blessed by the Lord, maker of heaven and earth (Psalms 115:15)

E- Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matt 7:26)

What word do those letters spell?

Welcome!

I want to welcome our visitors to church today and welcome the regular members as well.

Today may we heed the words of the Lord and work to hasten his coming.

I am here to welcome you to church today. 

Today we will be doing our welcome in a way that will make everyone feel loved. One of the best things someone could say to me is: <Your name>, I have been praying for you. It is one of the highest expressions of love for me.

So today, I want each person to turn to the person next to you and welcome them to church with a prayer.

If you are seated next to a visitor, you are blessed with the task of making them feel extra welcomed into God's house.

*1 minute of prayer*

I also ask that you continue to pray for this person throughout the week.

To the church at large, I want to welcome you into a relationship with God.

Welcome!

At a specific time in most Seventh Day Adventist churches worldwide, someone is asked to come to the podium and perform a duty.

This duty is performed at two different times during the morning church proceeding.

The person chosen may have a tag line like today is a high day in Israel, or the Sabbath is a delight. The person chosen may also repeat a set of instructions.

Today at this specific time, I've been given the task to join with the SDA church worldwide and welcome you to  <name of your church>. Today is a high Day in Israel. Of all the SDA churches worldwide, this is the very best church to worship at today. That is because you have chosen to fellowship with us. And there is no place like this place, anywhere near this place, because this is the place.

What is a way to commemorate such an auspicious occasion?

With a picture of course!

I want to ask everyone to take out your phones for this portion of the service and go to someone and welcome them into God's house and capture the moment with a selfie.

You are encouraged to look at this picture and pray for this person each day for the upcoming week.

Remember to welcome each person, especially our visiting friends into the house of the Lord.