Matthew 22:37, 39 NIV
"The pastor says they sit front and center. The gay boys. Sometimes they hold hands. And some folks have said he should address the issue. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And then there’s the man who sneaks in the back door. Fresh off the street. After the service starts. And leaves before alter call. The people sitting close complain about how bad he smells. Of beer and smoke and sweat. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And then there’s the young mama who wears dirty skin and lets her four children come in and eat all the donuts and drink all the watered-down juice. Some church staff say they “…eat like little pigs. Like they haven’t eaten in weeks.” While the mama just stands there and lets them. And the elders say something must be done and said. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And there’s the whore sitting among the faithful. And everybody knows her. She sits with a painted-up face, cheap perfume, and a broken heart. And those who sit close, well, they all treat her for what they think she is. And at the last staff meeting, her name came up. Something must be done about her. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
The pastor is a good man. Holy and just. And he wants to do the “right and loving” thing. And he wants to “look like Jesus”. And he asks me if I have any thoughts on anything he could say.
Yes, sweet Pastor. I do.
Start with this and say it Louder than any other words:
“Welcome to Church. This is a place of love and hope and safety and forgiveness. We will be food for the hungry. Living water for the thirsty. We are so glad you are here. You are invited. You are loved. Come on in—we’ve been waiting on you. Welcome here. We are the church.”
Say that. To the called and to the called-out. To the leaders and the greeters. To the dirty and the clean. We are all the same. We are.
May we blow the dust of religion out of our souls and choose affection instead. May our words and actions and reactions be a sanctuary for all.
Jesus broke many laws to love. So, Jesus, be our voice. Be the only words we should ever speak.
Written by Heather Burke Cody"
I don't take her post as saying to accept the behavior but to welcome all that come because all of us were unsaved till a Christian told us about Christ. We are all sinners, even after being saved. Main point of the post: Quit judging. Treat others like we were commanded to, help those around you without bias or anything else. Many need to remember what "Love your neighbor" really means.... Nobody's perfect but Facebook and other social media seems to bring the worst out of many. Good intended posts or not get blown way crazy and a lot of belittling/name calling.
Words on a screen are often misleading and or easily misunderstood.
Loving our neighbors means equally loving all and not treating others like we are in a pecking order. Nobody is better than anyone else and should be treated as such. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander. Help those around you, even if you don't like them. Support them if they are having a hard time. The beggar on the street is no worse or better than the CEO of Chase Bank.
I'm in a new Bible Study called, Just Open The Door by Jen Schmidt. So many lessons and snippets in that. First of all, that hospitality isn't a spotless or clutterless house, it's inviting people to be social, to get loved on, etc. Yet we made it become about we don't want to host people because we fear judgment about how our homes look, or worse, some do judge by merely seeing a speck of dust when they visit. I have heard of a friend who had a mom that would literally wear white gloves when they would come over and if anything at all got on that white glove, the daughter would get chewed out for not having the house clean enough. Never mind that she had young kids at the time. Personally, my kids come before a spotless house. I want my house to be lived in, not looking like a shrine, a shell of what a home should be. Besides, those who judge me about my house or anything else, better have theirs spotless too.
Anyway.....
One question she asked in one of the daily studies was this: "Can you think back on a time when you've been the stranger, the new girl at work, or the uninvited guest who waited on the fringes for a word of welcome? Tell about that experience. Has it impacted how you reach out to others? I answered, "Honestly, I've seen a lot of politeness but not hospitality as told here. There was always a "catch" or those that were kind would later stab me in the back or treat me as an outcast. The most hospitable place was the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas. Yeah, there were obligations yet workers AND families united to help each other. Nothing else mattered other than to support each other no matter how sick or hurt our children were. Church and many Christians forget that THAT is what it's supposed to be about.
“Welcome to Church. This is a place of love and hope and safety and forgiveness. We will be food for the hungry. Living water for the thirsty. We are so glad you are here. You are invited. You are loved. Come on in—we’ve been waiting on you. Welcome here. We are the church.”
Say that. To the called and to the called-out. To the leaders and the greeters. To the dirty and the clean. We are all the same. We are.
May we blow the dust of religion out of our souls and choose affection instead. May our words and actions and reactions be a sanctuary for all.
Jesus broke many laws to love. So, Jesus, be our voice. Be the only words we should ever speak." is what we are supposed to be. How are we to bring others to Christ and or even show who Christ was otherwise?"
I should have answered all of that in what I had to say. Hopefully I can soon because I really want to hear what the response is.
I mentioned recently in a Bible Study that the church and communities need to be more intentional in reaching out to others who are going through trials. We need to reach them no matter what they have done, who they are, what money they make or not, or anything else. If Jesus can heal and change the woman who was a prostitute and adulterer, then why can't we treat the people who sin "worse or less" (Quotes because WE make the scales, not God when in reality no sin is worse than another.) I was told "What will you do about it? If you are that passionate about it, then you fix it."
My thought to that is this: Why just me? To me that sounds like a lazy answer, or something to shut me up with. I get the point but instead why don't everyone who claims to love Christ be more intentional? Why don't we seek those out who are struggling and help them without complaint, favoritism or wanting something in return? Or worse, say "I did this for you so no more talking about ____" or "I did this so you can't say nobody did ___" That's not what the point of "Love your neighbor" is. That isn't truly serving and helping others. That's the Pharisee way. Even when many do help others, they take the cheapest way possible to do it.
For an example: They buy themselves good, healthy food but donate only junk or honestly unhealthy food to charity. Why? Why not donate what you are willing for your household to eat too? Why do you insist on your kids eating organic yet will donate Dollar Tree cereal and a can of spam? Why not donate what you will feed yourselves? Or you donate beat up clothes and shoes with holes in them but won't donate the kind of stuff you would make your kids wear. I may sound nitpicking but am I really? I think I have a point.
What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
If that's also the case then why can't I post an honest update about the heartbreak, anger, sadness or defeat moments about our journey without backlash? Yet so many of those griping at me post all sorts of junk, rants and or complaining? If not that, then all they do post about is bragging about themselves or their families. If I'm being truthful as I should be, then why the condemnation? Why should I only share the bright, shiny, perfect parts? That's not what life is. It's a blend of both.
Loving your neighbor means loving them and being like Jesus was for not just us but for the things He did in healing/serving others with no scoreboard. No stipulations. No scales. No judgment or bias. No favoritism. No popularity contests or totem pole positioning. NONE OF THAT! If God sought you to have you saved by Christ, whom someone had to tell you about, then why won't He those who you see are worse than you?
How do others see the love of God? By how we treat them. If your only concern is getting them to Heaven and nothing more, you won't get anywhere in teaching them Jesus. Jesus loved sinners. Do you love sinners? If we are doing what we do just because, we have a problem. Where we get Pharisee like is when we get "We can only take care of our own. Nobody else because ____" "I refuse that one because I hate them." I refuse because that one looks ugly/poor/rich/fake stuff. "I refuse because that one is outspoken." "I refuse to help that one because they asked __ times now." "I refuse to help that family because they aren't from here." "I refuse to help ___ cause simply because their illness (Or family member's) isn't as bad as so and so's illness/medical diagnosis/storm." It's all excuses. You can't share the gospel without loving and serving others.
What good is it to say you are saved and trying to show others Christ if you don't do it? If you don't "Love your neighbor" or to go after that one sheep that nobody else will?
Now, here's proof that behavior like that isn't what Jesus was about. Luke 15 brings these points. "I have come to save those who are lost."
Tax collectors were seen as the most disliked and hated during the time of Jesus. Yet one became a disciple of Jesus. They were the outcasts of society. Yet Matthew became one of his twelve disciples. Outcasts, and notorious sinners were the ones who followed Jesus. They were the ones Jesus saved. Not the Pharisees or religious, not the holier-than-thou people, but the outcasts and the unloved. It's an issue of pride. That's what it boils down to. Those who look down on others who aren't "better" than them have a heart full of hate and pride. Yet they knew better but did it anyway!
Jesus didn't give us the ability to save others but did give us the ability to share the gospel. Just remember, there is a celebration in Heaven every single time someone gets saved. Shouldn't we? Shouldn't we help others with joy, no matter who we should serve or who they are? None of you accepted salvation yourselves. All of you were once lost too. Just because you no longer are lost, it doesn't mean you shouldn't care about those that are still lost, wandering, hurting, etc.
Our pastor Sunday shared the story about a time during the summer he was at a lake. Many people would go there swimming. Sometimes people would dive into the lake from a nearby bridge. One guy jumped off, came up in the water but was struggling. Those around him didn't think he was serious and this young man drowned. "We just didn't know he was struggling" was the echoed statement........
How many times do we say that about someone who dies by suicide or an overdose or any other self caused death or attempted death?
The lost, the wandering, the strayed, the broken, the hurting, the outcasts, the unloved, the ___ is who God is after. If a Shepard can leave his 99 sheep who are in good shape to chase down the one who has strayed, shouldn't we do that for each other?
I'm talking more than salvation here, I'm talking befriending, supporting, loving on, comforting, showing hospitality to, etc. You don't have to like everyone but we are supposed to love everyone.
Why don't we just simply do what Jesus did? Love and serve others. Jesus didn't put labels on others. Only the "lost" or "saved" NO other labels were ever considered. WE humans do that. We do that to each other, inside and outside the church. We are the ones to choose to help or hurt others and we choose who we feel is worthy of community help, or not..... And many who proclaim to love Christ choose not.
Don't wish you did when it's too late. Don't sit there at the funeral or in the ICU or a prayer time about someone who is either dead, dying or in a hospital after trying to end it all.....
Reach out to others, no matter what.
While we remember how far we have come, no matter where we started at, let's remember two things:
1. Don't compare where we are to others. Nobody else knows how far you have come and how far you have to go but God.
2. Those around you, don't look down on them because they sin differently or "more often" than you do. That won't matter. What will matter is how you treated them no matter what. That is how you share Jesus. Be the one that refuses to give up on that one sheep when everyone else has. No matter what that sheep does, they will remember you alone, were the one who refused to give up. That is Jesus. Jesus didn't ever give up on you, no matter how lost you were, if you wander now, if you are broken now, hurting now or anything else. What matters is you are saved and you bring others to Christ by what you do for others, no matter who those others are, not for yourself.
Perhaps that's why I'm so passionate about the outcasts.... Because I am one. Because I feel the hurt and broken so often of those who claim to love Christ show otherwise.... Yet to fill my heart with hate, bitterness or to leave the church isn't what Christ would want. He would want me to face the rejection and condemnation He did yet still bring many to Christ despite the Pharisees who are out there.
If my story helps just one, I've done my job.
May I remember my own lesson here too. There are times I am nowhere near what I should be. I get in my own way often and I get in God's way even more often.
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In light of what a Facebook friend shared, I edited her post some with permission and wrote up one that fits us. I will end today with that. Her post was about politics but I think in many ways, it goes well beyond that.
"I have never, since I got on Facebook, thought about leaving it. I found it such a wonderful place to keep up with friends and family but most especially the families I have met on this medical journey. But, since the election and honestly well before that, all I see is ugliness. Veiled statuses casually insulting people while looking like it's just an off-the-cuff remark... Not even all of it being political posts... Supposedly not directed and anyone in particular. I used to think it brought people together but I'm starting to feel like it's tearing them apart. I have family members who won't say a thing when I post pictures of my children or statuses about their accomplishments but they lay in wait for me to make one tiny comment about my opinion or how I feel about something then pounce in, or they call me chewing me out. Even people who I thought were real friends or those within the church. Yet most don't bother to ask me how the kids are to my face, and if they do, they don't want to honestly hear it if it's more said than just "good" or "fine". It's why I hardly ever post anything that's opinionated/thoughts/feelings or anything about the kids anymore. That and when I've been honest about how an appointment or what not went, updated and gave just the facts, I got ripped apart. I mean, I'm friends with people here for a reason and it's obviously not because we don't agree about politics, religion, opinions, how others treat each other, medical world, etc. There are other things in the world then just about you. There are beautiful things and beautiful people. I see it all the time but I have to scroll through such ugliness to find them. It's getting so tiring and so painful. My mantra for the longest time has been "just scroll by" but it's getting to where there's so much to scroll by that my mantra is becoming "just log off". I personally think that friends and family supersede our political or any other opinions but I feel like I'm the only one sometimes. I've thought about unfriending people to make Facebook more digestible and to keep those who really don't want to be bothered by the good and bad of our life but these are people..... Humans. It's not just a screen that I'm looking at. The people behind the screen who are reading my words are people I could hurt and I don't want to do that. I know that it feels like it's a blank canvas where you can just throw things up and they hit a white wall and then they're gone but it's not so. Yet I don't want to be fake either. There are loving, feeling humans that are reading those things. Humans that I care about. I don't like that it has become such a stressful thing. Deleting my Facebook account is a drastic thing but I've come very close. I love Facebook for bringing me closer to family and friends because we live so far apart. Yet then why so much hate over what gets posted? I love seeing the pictures of my FB friends kids and daily lives. Facebook used to feel like I was sitting in my grandpa's living room with my family or sitting around the table with my friends. I've made wonderful new friends that I used to feel like I was hanging out with. Especially in the medical community. Now it feels like a white shield that everyone hides behind to fling hate and anger at each other, especially Facebook groups..... I'm sure that something will pop up.... a beautiful picture of someone I love, a happy face doing something they love, an awesome song or an inspirational story that proves there's still good in the world and I hope it does because all I've seen on here lately, and almost all the time now are careless thoughts flung out into the universe designed to show how much better someone is than someone else because they think one way and the other person doesn't. Or it's to brag about this or that and yet when your neighbor has it rough, all ignore them. It's sad. Really, really sad. What happened to truly "love your neighbor" and treat others as you want treated? What happened to the world where everyone helped everyone regardless of who they were? I thought that was what "love your neighbor" was. Just know, whoever reads this, that you're my friend. You're my family. I love and care for you and I respect you. You're beautiful to me in ways that only you can be. I don't want anything to ruin that yet I don't want what you say or do to ruin what Facebook is for me either. It is truly one of the few places I have that I can share the joys and heartbreaks of this medical journey with the few locals and many abroad who understand this world I'm in It also helps those who do not understand to understand... At least for those that care to. I hope you find something happy and beautiful on Facebook today. Love and peace forever.
Blessings!
~ Special Momma ~
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