“The Death of the Hired Man\u201d by Robert Frost is an extraordinary poem. In a deceptively simple narrative style, it relates the discussion between a farmer and his wife over whether to offer shelter to the itinerant labourer whose work has been somewhat unsatisfactory in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Silas has arrived at their doorstep, \u201ca miserable sight \u2014 and frightening too\u201d. Warren is unwilling to offer him employment again, but Mary\u2019s kind heart won\u2019t allow him to turn away a man who has \u201cnothing to look backward to with pride and nothing to look forward to with hope\u201d. She believes that he has \u201ccome home to die\u201d, which feeling gives rise to the well known phrases: \u201cHome is the place where, when you have to go there They have to take you in,\u201d and \u201cI should have called it Something you somehow haven\u2019t to deserve.\u201d Warren is persuaded to offer Silas work in order to keep his pride, but this offer is redundant: Silas, worn out by life and aware of reaching sanctuary at last, has died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a strange, lyrical way, this poem sums up the joy and the challenge of the \u201cwelcoming church\u201d: the grace-filled obligation to accept in Jesus\u2019s name every person who seeks entry to the worshipping community, no matter who they are or what they might believe. Every church leader, I suspect, secretly prides themselves on their welcoming attitude to stranger and seasoned churchgoer alike, and, if we are occasionally troubled by a feeling that perhaps not everyone feels instantly \u201cat home\u201d, then how easy it is to reassure ourselves that the fault lies, if not with the congregation, then certainly with one or two trickier members of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter the mystery worshipper….<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> In the parish: Sally Welch begins a series on how to ensure parish churches are as welcoming as they would like to behttps:\/\/t.co\/iDumAsZFGG<\/a><\/p>— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 7, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>