Scripture: Luke 5:31-32 – “Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” (NRSVue)
When people leave churches, sometimes it is because they are too busy and other times because they don’t get any meaning out of it. But a significant number of people leave because of how they are treated by other Christians. People throw up their hands and say, “How can a church be like this! Aren’t these people supposed to be Christians?”
For centuries, terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus. So, what is the point? Maybe the world would be better if we just slept in on Sunday and got a head start on our laundry. But if you think that a church is a place where perfect people go to be perfect, you don’t quite understand what church is and what Jesus’ mission was all about.
Jesus was criticized by the religious authorities of his day for associating with “the wrong kinds” of people. A true prophet would condemn sinners and exhort the righteous. But Jesus believed that the righteous did not need someone to show them the way. It was sinners, the people who were sick in their souls, that needed the kind of healing he provided.
Think of a church less like a shrine and more like a hospital. It is a place where people go to get better. Not everyone at a hospital gets well, just as not every person who goes to church is always a kind and loving person. But church is about trying. It is about failing to live up to your ideals but then trying to change yourself to be better next time. Ideally, we can help heal each other, with every kind word and every act of charity and justice that reaches people in need.
If you are a regular churchgoer, think about something stupid or cruel that you saw at a church. Think about why someone did what they did, or maybe what you may have contributed to the problem. Then, let go of those negative feelings and think about something meaningful that happened because you were a member of a church. Think of how that healed a broken part of your soul. Think about how the benefits of feeling love and trying to be better can outweigh the pettiness. Think of what healing there still is to share among your church family.
If you are not a regular churchgoer, consider what you might gain from it. All of us feel off in our lives in one way or another. Maybe being around some other imperfect people might make you feel better. And maybe you are the medicine that heals the wounds of others.
Prayer: God, I feel sick in my heart these days. Let me seek your healing love, even in imperfect places, for I know you are waiting for me there. Amen.
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