Today's offering is from one of the students involved in LCM who asked that they not be individually identified:
A few months ago while sitting in Sunday school, I thought to myself, our church would never do that.
We were discussing the recent news of a new pastor showing up to his church dress as a homeless person, with rags for cloths, ruffled hair, and the stench that indicated the lack of a shower. We all thought that the congregation’s reactions to the homeless man were utterly and completely wrong. Members of the congregation did not greet him, nor did they offer a seat when the man was in need of a seat.
And I just kept thinking through the weeks that, “Our church would never do that.”
Well this past Sunday, possibly the biggest day of church turnout where all pews will be completely packed listening to the Good News of Christ’s resurrection; A man walks into the sanctuary looking for a place to sit, it is obvious this man is suffering from some illness as he is finally finds an open seat.
As I see this happen, I notice the only other guy sitting in the pew is frantically trying to persuade the merely different guy from sitting down. Finally the man with special needs sits down in the pew, in protest the other guy slides to the opposite end of the pew.
While I thought this was horrible to do, I kept thinking to myself that maybe, just maybe, he was telling him to sit there to reserve the spot. Giving him the benefit of doubt. I am calming down as the rest of the family pours into the church and kicks out the special needs guy, to leave him wandering the church for a place to sit. He soon found another pew that made room for him during the service.
What I realized this Sunday, is that, our church would do that. Which means I could that. It might not be as profound as having a homeless man wander around the church that turns out to be your new pastor, but it does mean all churches are just as imperfect as the members of the congregation. So I challenge you to accept this, and strive to be the person that goes out of their way to talk to the homeless person that walks into church.
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