So…
Is it possible that no one outside our church group would join us because we are so fabulous, just too cool for school?
I don’t know if you were aware, but there are studies out there that suggest that some of the folks who do not come to worship, who do not participate in a church, don’t because they think they aren’t worthy!
Did you hear that?! They think we have our stuff together, and so, since they perceive themselves as not having it all together, that they can’t come, wouldn’t be welcome, wouldn’t fit in, would stick out like sore thumbs.
And remember, it doesn’t matter at all if we think they shouldn’t feel that way. They do. And so the task of the church fellowship is to open every possible avenue of interaction so that folks outside the church feel like being inside the church is like coming home!
There was a story about a poor family that was struggling to get by. They didn’t have enough food, enough clothing, and their house was cold and drafty.
Finally, some folks for the Methodist church nearby noticed and came to help. They brought some good healthy food. They brought clothes for the parents and the kids. And best of all, they got the house insulated and set up a fund so the family would have fuel to heat the house.
By now the folks from the church were so excited by how everything had worked out, they somehow got it in their heads that perhaps the family would show up for worship the following Sunday.
And when they didn’t they were a bit curious, so one of the more nosy of the members (not that a church like this would have nosy members) checked to see just what had happened.
And it turned out that the family realized that in their new clothes that they looked so good, that they went upscaled and visited the Presbyterian Church instead! Welcome, welcome, welcome! You’re looking good! Just saying!
The story is a bit of fun, but to be clear, not exactly what is happening here. In fact, almost the opposite is happening. Many non-church folks feel like their current way of living not be welcome in a typical church. The #tiedyechurch. The #comesharemypew church! What’s a pew?
Some of these folks are amazing, wonderful, gracious, loving, but in relationship to a church wildly self-conscious, uncomfortable and nervous.
They think that they are not traditional enough to be thought of as just one of the bunch.
They don’t have grey hair, they do have tattoos. They don’t know any of the songs we sing, but they love some rock and roll, country, alternative, and pop. Not much of that sounds like church music.
We followers of Jesus can be a bit stuffy. A bit aloof. Sometimes less than accepting. A bit judge-y, perhaps. Not mellow or open or loving, or most of all, much like Jesus, who could sit with tax collectors and sinners, and be loved and admired by them.
It turns out it is not necessarily a new problem. Peter and the crew, it seems, were also scaring off people, although it seems for a different reason. They were scaring off people because God’s power was so obvious in them.
And the people in the community loved them, but they weren’t sure if they would be welcomed, if they were holy enough, if they would fit in.
So maybe, just maybe, today, as we approach the table of the Lord, we should think about how we would bridge that gap, how we could bring to this table everyone who ought to be here to experience God’s love and forgiveness who isn’t.
Who is God calling you to reach out to, and what would have to be different to enable them to get here?
Let’s band together to by this time next month make sure that we have invited one more to come.
It’s not likely that the community will line up the sick so our shadows will fall on them and heal them. But maybe, we should be striving to be a community that is so known for God’s presence in its midst that people want to come.
May it be so today as we, God’s faithful people, make a difference, in Jesus Name!
Amen.
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