…church expectations

It seems like everywhere you look, people are blaming the church for something. The church is guilty of many things, all of which can be explained by the human nature of church members. People “outside” the church look at the congregation and expect to see what they hear. The church talks about grace, but shows condemnation. The church talks about love, but shows elitism. The church talks about forgiveness, but shows retribution.

If you have never been to church, that scenario doesn’t hold much appeal. What’s worse is when you have been to church, and you were burned by hypocrisy. There’s a fine line to walk. Churches are supposed to keep the doors open – to everyone. At the same time, the church can’t support sinful behavior. The problem is, many churches have taken support to equal proximity. If you can’t stand to be seen with a sinner, it must be pretty tough looking in the mirror every morning. People that don’t have a church to call their own look through the stained glass windows and see a mirage of nominal Christians draped in pietism. The building will be packed Sunday morning with the same people who sullenly packed the bars the night before. A skeptical world has little patience for fakers.

When a church decides that it is a place for the “good people” to gather, it’s not much of a church at all. The Church – the Body of Christ – is active. It’s made up of people who aren’t scared of being seen with alcoholics, thieves, and adulterers. Jesus hung out with some lousy people – His best friends were fishermen, no-names, and a tax collector. They were a rag-tag bunch, at best. That’s who Jesus chose to use – and to be friends with.

The church needs to realize that it’s a place for people to come when they don’t have it together – because none of us do. The church needs to be a group of people who encourage – because the world doesn’t. People not in the church expect the church to be perfect; people are still people, and that won’t change as long as this earth continues to spin. People in the church expect the world not to be offended when they issue a harsh word; the world doesn’t need another tongue to lash them. The church needs to show more grace, to give more love, and to offer more forgiveness. We all need to. Church isn’t a place for people with their lives cleaned up – it’s for people with blood-soaked bandages barely hanging on. The Church is not a group of perfect people – it’s a group of people striving to live like Christ, and walking hand-in-hand to that goal.