Judgmental?

In one of the churches I served we began a second worship gathering. It was to attract people to church who wouldn't be comfortable in our relaxed, but traditional, gathering (meaning, a choir and an organ). And, as God would have it, a whole new group of people showed up.

One week, a family from the 11AM (modern worship, the new worship), showed up at the traditional worship. The family sat with a look of shock on their faces the whole worship. Afterwards, the teenage daughter said to me, "This is not my church" - meaning, this looks so different than who comes to the 11AM, how are these people part of my church? While I loved her reaction, (it was so real) what I loved even more was that no one at that traditional worship did anything to communicate that this family with their tattoos, piercing and contemporary clothing (read, less clothing on the girls than many were used to) wasn’t part of their church. They embraced this family and anyone else who happened to show up, helping everyone find a welcome.

I wish more of our churches were like this.

We are known as a judgment people--which I think is a way of saying we are unfriendly to those "not like us.' How did this happen? Don't we follow a Savior who ate with everyone?

One of the strengths of the UMC is that we do not offer a black and white view of the world. We see the complexities of life and have an authentic word to offer our world. But are we doing this?

We could start this weekend to make clearer who we are by saying something as we begin worship like:

"This is a place for people who know that the world is a complex place and it seldom can be seen only in black and white terms--if you are searching for a community that is seeking to follow the way of Jesus in the midst of life's ambiguities, welcome!"

"Welcome to worship, we believe in diversity--we are all different and that is how God wanted it.  As different as we are we share two things: none of us are perfect and all of us have an inner hunger to know God.  So, if you are looking for a place to explore what it means to follow Jesus in complex time, welcome."

What do you say at your church that helps let people know that this is a place where they can be who they truly are and find a welcome?  

What might you say this Sunday?