...a transgendered person enters the congregation to hear the preaching of Christ. This frightens parents, who do not come to church planning to explain to their children why two women are holding hands, why a man is dressed like a woman, or why the man in the next pew smells like alcohol. Parents in the church are outraged. I understand this; as a father with three children, I feel the tension.
But without realizing it, parents like me are sometimes embarrassed by Jesus. Why would Jesus draw people like that to himself? It is hard for parents to remember that children in the crowds saw Jesus with prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. Parents want to go into Jesus' presence at church in order to keep their kids safe from the world. But Jesus keeps drawing unsafe people from the world to himself. We are confounded. We complain, "How am I supposed to explain this to my kids?" With that complaint we lose sight of something vital: To explain how Jesus reaches people no matter where they've been or what they've done is to explain to our kids the gospel. It is to explain our own testimony. It is to teach the next generation how Jesus relates to people and the world.
A homiletic position that is able to treat the Scriptures without an awareness of those outside the church is hauntingly similar to the way preaching was being done by those religious leaders who challenged Jesus and whom Jesus challenged. A community that was raised on the regular teaching of God's Word was shocked that Jesus would come not for the righteous but for those who need a physician.
- Dr. Zack Eswine,
Preaching to a Post-Everything World, p. 81
2 comments:
This is good... but the title totally sounds like the opening line of a joke. :-)
Thank you for posting this Zach. Pastoring a church in the city, I have the great privilege (and massive challenge) of preaching to an incredibly diverse group of people. All ages, races, and backgrounds. It's not unusual to find confused catholics, angry atheists, arrogant college students and apathetic believers all gathering on a Sunday morning. I could go on and on with stories of some of unique people I've met. For instance, there was the guy in the front row wearing daisy dukes and heels with his toe nails painted. Or the cross dresser who asked me if he would go to hell for getting a sex change. The guy with HIV who doesn't know how to walk away from the gay community. Then there are the folks from the mental health assisted living facility down the street. Or the myriads of alcoholics and drug addicts from rehabs and halfway houses in the area, searching for a "higher power". As you can imagine, preaching one message, to this audience is a challenge, but it's not just up to me. As members of the body of Christ, we all have the responsibility to help lead these people to Jesus. My 30 minutes up front will likely have much less impact than the greeters, ushers, or people they meet sitting next to them. Will you embrace them with a hug and a smile? Will you make them feel loved and welcome? Will you (gasp) invite them to lunch? I encourage anyone who reads this, to try something tomorrow. Don't go to church with your blinders on, parking where you usually park, sitting where you usually sit, and loving on all the people who already love you. Even as you get out of your car and walk into the building, ask God to help you see with the eyes of Christ. Look for the stray sheep. Reach out to them. Step out of your comfort zone and bring them into your world. Ask God what to do. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but trust me, they are more nervous than you are. You might be surprised at how fulfilling and exciting going to church can be, when each of us decide to BE the church.
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