If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that I, along with a small group of autistic peers, have been reflecting on how we can best love and serve our church family. To guide us, we’ve been looking at the “one another” commands found in the Bible.
Several of these commands focus on how we communicate with each other. In Colossians 3v16 we are told, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (NIV), or as the NLT puts it, “teach and counsel each other". We are also instructed to “build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5v11) and to “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3v13).
How many times a week do you think you hear some variation of “a very warm welcome to you”? And what perception do you have of how to welcome people on the autistic spectrum?
I am confident that at almost any church service or event you will be verbally welcomed at least once, perhaps even several times... There might for example be an “official” welcome from someone at the door, one from the leader of the service, and any number of informal welcomes amongst the congregation.
I wonder what comes to mind when you hear the word “autistic”?
Perhaps you think of recent speculation about rising numbers of diagnoses? Or you might think of those on a mission to cure autism? Maybe you think of a family member or friend?
Creative ways to encourage one another
If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that I, along with a small group of autistic peers, have been reflecting on how we can best love and serve our church family. To guide us, we’ve been looking at the “one another” commands found in the Bible.
Several of these commands focus on how we communicate with each other. In Colossians 3v16 we are told, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (NIV), or as the NLT puts it, “teach and counsel each other". We are also instructed to “build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5v11) and to “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3v13).