Am I Welcome?
I recently ran across a story of a man who wore his swimsuit to church several weeks in a row to see if he would be welcomed the same as if he showed up dressed more conventionally. As it turns out he was welcomed, and as the story plays out, this church becomes crucial in helping to save his marriage which was teetering on the brink.
I share this with you not to extol the values of swimsuit wearing in church, which frankly seems quite uncomfortable, but rather to remind us that every week people with deep hurts are worshipping with us wondering if they are welcome. In their mind are the questions, "If I don't fit the norm, will I be welcome?" "Can I be a little awkward?" "How will people handle the mess that is my life?" While these questions may occupy their minds, we all know the reality that each of our lives registers more than a little on the "I am a mess" scale. Being open with our messes is a large part of what it means to live in a Gospel community. We double down in the truth that we are not loved because we have it all together, but rather we are loved despite the mess, only for the sake of Christ's finished work on our behalf. (Which is what messy people truly need, even more than being welcomed into a community!) When we have this truth firmly embedded in our core, it allows us to respond to the swimsuit wearers, the socially awkward, the parent's whose kids run amok, the marriages that are teetering, the physically fragile, the politically angry and all else who find their way in our doors. We know mess!
As we continue on in Ephesians 4:17-24 this week we will be remind that we have been given a new self only by the sheer generosity of a gracious God. How can we be anything less than thankful to God and gracious with those we encounter!
I look forward to applying this Gospel against our messes. Let's keep our eyes open for those in their metaphorical swimsuits!
For those interested in How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told, it is not a "how to" book but rather a beautifully brutal story of loss, sadness, and brokenness that ultimately leads to betrayal and infidelity in the marriage. In the end however, it is a story of staying married through Gospel powered forgiveness and change. Interestingly, in a world where churches and church leadership are often the "bad guys", Christ the King in Savannah and its pastor (a Covenant Seminary Grad btw) shine brightly. Devastatingly honest and hilariously funny, it tells the story in such a way as to make us look not only at Harrison and Lauren but also at ourselves. Harrison's style, manner of theological expression and sometimes coarse language won't be for everyone and at times made me a wee bit uncomfortable, but ultimately it is a powerful portrait of the Gospel at work.