Chapter Seven: Talking to Strangers

Chapter 7: Talking to Strangers

After a moving anecdote of seeing two communities living in the same place, sharing faith, and yet failing to interact with one another, Bell looks at how Jesus welcomes interactions with people who might well be overlooked. Mixing modern references with biblical stories, Bell wonders what it was like for Jesus to have grown up an exile.  He looks at how Jesus is for all people, encountering Samaritans, foreign lepers, and centurions with grace and care. Bell concludes by marvelling at how Jesus is “uniquely able to recognize and to love the good in those who are ‘not belonging to this fold.’”

Reflection Questions:

1. Which of the biblical stories that Bell used to support his ideas caught your attention?  What do you see in it as you re-read it that you had not before, or what do you notice more than you used to?
   
2. Have you had a recent encounter with a person you wouldn’t have otherwise planned to speak to? How did it come about? Who do you tend to pass by, that you might talk to?
   
3. One of the promises we make and renew in our baptismal covenant is to seek and serve Christ in all persons: how have you met Jesus in other people? How might Bell’s points help you to be attentive to this effort in the future?
   
4. Who do you notice being marginalized in the newspaper (countries, groups, people)?  What communities have you learned about through your church connections whose concerns or issues aren’t considered by the media?
   
5. How might your church community stretch itself to interact and engage more deeply with its neighbours?