Clay in the Hands

You remember those ads for X-Ray glasses when you were a kid (or at least, when I was a kid)?  I never had any to know if they really worked – I am going to go out on a limb here and say probably not.  Supposedly, you could put them on and see through things.  I won’t mention the things that went through the mind of an adolescent boy when he thought about such glasses.

At any rate, how cool would it be if there were special X-Ray glasses?  What if theses glasses allowed the wearer to see what was really going on in a person’s life?  And what if we handed out a pair to everyone who walked through the doors of the church on Sunday morning?  I wonder if the gathering would be any different?

I started a book last night titled, No Perfect People Allowed.  The book reminds us that churches should be welcoming to everyone, regardless of what is going on in their lives.

Somewhere along the line, the people in the pews got the idea that they should cover up their problems.  I guess, in a way, we have done it to ourselves in the church world.  We preach that Christ followers should strive to be more like Jesus everyday – and honestly, that should be foundational to those who follow in the Way.  But we have failed to remain real.  We have given the impression that a mature believer should be “perfect.”  And no one wants to admit that they are not “perfect.”  So, on Sunday morning, we put on our “Sunday clothes,” and our Sunday faces and we head off to church.  All the while knowing that it is largely a show – often less than genuine.

Jesus followers are to be God’s light in a dark world and collectively the church is to be a place where those lights are recharged.  But why would a person truly seeking answers to life’s difficult questions want to look for those answers in a place where nothing is real?

For the church to truly be what God intended, it has to be filled with people who are real – with all their problems and baggage.  The church should be a group of believers who are doing there best to follow Jesus on a daily basis; leaning on each other through their struggles every step of the way.

That is why you will find this phrase on my business card:  “. . . no perfect people allowed . . .”   That is the church environment we need to create.

Keep it real!