I read a blog this morning from a single dad who visited a church yesterday morning with his two sons. I'm not sure where the church was, but it could be any one of ours. The church they visited was celebrating their 100th Anniversary. But as this dad pointed out, the congregation was so intent on remembering the stories of yesteryear, they completely ignored their visitors. Fellowship with each other was more important than hospitality to the strangers in their midst.
Ignoring their visitors might in some way be related to the fact that for every young person in the pews, there were three older folks. Now don't get me wrong, one's age does not determine one's friendliness. Some of our most hospitable individuals at Incarnate Word are well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. But when folks are visiting, how we welcome them or not will determine if they ever come back. The fact remains that most visitors are younger and are searching for churches with whom they can connect their faith lives. If there are not many young people in our midst, we have to ask ourselves, how well we welcome visitors. Speaking as a dad myself, I want my kids to connect with something larger than themselves. I want them to connect with a faith community that doesn't just talk about "the golden rule" but embodies radical, unconditional, systemic-changing love. I want a place where healing happens and a place where my gifts along with those of my children can join with the gifts of others to change the world. That is what most people want when they enter our churches on a Sunday morning. Healing and transformation!
Let's face it. This may be "My Father's World", but it can be pretty sucky when it comes right down to it. People are isolated in unfulfilling jobs, stressed from too much homework and too much programming, going through divorce, battling medical diagnoses, recovering from addictions, facing bankruptcy and that's just the tip of the iceberg. From this cesspool of crap, people are literally looking for a holy habitation: a mountain of respite and hope: A place to call home.
What's nothing short of miraculous is that in the midst of these life storms, folks who don't even know us have taken a risk to come into our midst. They don't know if they can trust us. Will they be made to feel like outsiders? Will they hear a fire and brimstone sermon inflicting guilt on those who are gathered? Will they see love or hate in those around them? Will they hear destructive gossip being whispered between pews? Will their wallets and pocketbooks be put upon? Will they be ignored? Or will church folks eager to see "young blood" descend upon them like a herd of "walking dead" trying to get them to sign on the dotted line? Those who enter our sanctuary for the first time on a Sunday morning, don't know what they'll find, but they've taken a huge leap of faith to be there.
I'm not sure I like the term "visitor" for it implies someone who is just passing by and not looking to put down roots. I don't think folks coming into our sanctuaries on a Sunday morning are visitors. I think they are immigrants longing for connectedness to something greater than themselves in need of healing and love. If so, what they don't need are coffee mugs, loaves of bread and other similar marketing ploys which say we want your body and not your soul. None of us likes to be marketed to. Haven't we all been conditioned to associate marketing and advertising with lying?
If you've been here at Incarnate Word for fifty years or you're coming into our midst for the very first time, here is what I pray you will find: Whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever you've done or whatever you've left undone, I pray that when you come through the doors on a Sunday morning you will find a people and a place where there is healing from the hardships of life. I pray you will find a people and a place that will empower you to make a difference in the world. If you are courageous to just get out of bed on a Sunday morning and come to church, I pray that you see people who will not only acknowledge and remember you, but who will be genuinely happy that you are alive.
We don't need a new program or ministry of outreach. We don't need door-to-door prosyletizing. What we need is love. Love will change us. Love will change the world. Hey, if love is good enough for Jesus....
Just sayin'
Pastor Doug
