When We Say "Everyone Is Welcome"

When We Say “Everyone Is Welcome”

Do we mean it or is this another case of Christian Speak?

Several weeks ago I stopped by a local coffee shop after dropping my kids off at school. Being early on a Friday, typically my day off, I decided to just wait in the drive thru and not get out of my car. It was a cold Michigan morning. As I was waiting for my turn to get my coffee… I happened to notice the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. And it kinda broke my heart.

“No worries, we’re all accepted in Hell” written next to a rainbow colored flame. Props to the marketing people behind Hell, Michigan… this has been a bumper sticker that has been ingrained in my mind for the last several weeks. I find myself haunted by it… thinking about it almost daily.

Now. I want to be extremely clear on something. This post will not talk whether or not the LGBTQ lifestyle is a sinful. Here is the ugly truth… you reading this have already made up your mind on that. Nothing I say is going to change it. In my experience, debates of that nature do nothing but drive wedges between people and the church. I am not in the business of driving wedges. I am in the business of building bridges. There are literally a million other posts all over the web that discuss the various complex angles of that debate. I choose to rise above it.

So, what do I want to talk about? I want to talk about the attitude and sentiment behind this bumper sticker. We as Christians and church leaders often talk about how we are a “come as you are church” and how “all are welcome!” Yet there are masses of people out there who feel the opposite. This person, for example, feels that the only place that could ever truly welcome them is Hell. This is a narrative we find far too often. The church has become synonymous of judgement and condemnation. To be fair, some of that is due to stereotypes and surely is a misrepresentation… unfortunately, however, it is a reality for many and a criticism that historically has been well deserved. The church might SAY “come as you are” but in too many instances there is an asterisk after it with small print saying “as long as you are like us.”

What do we do with this? I think we need to take a note from the life of Jesus (you know… that guy/son of God who we worship?) Jesus throughout his ministry hung out with the people that the religious elite ridiculed him for. People like tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers were constantly welcome at His table. When pressed about how Jesus could do such a thing, his answer was brilliant. “These are the people who need me!”

There are people in our community who need us. People who need us to show them the true love of Jesus. When we put up fences to keep out the messy people in our lives we are failing our community. We are failing to be like Jesus. We have an obligation as the representative’s of Jesus here on this earth to go out and share the amazing hope that is found when you align your life with King Jesus. Stop making exceptions for who that message is for. I dream of a church that has it’s doors open to all people, no matter what lifestyle they might live, no matter what they might look like, no matter how they might dress, no matter the language they use. I long for a church that says to the world, “Come as you are! You are welcome here! If you are searching for something… we want to search with you!” What if… not only did we say it but also meant it?