I wandered into a store the other day and as I was at the register checking out, the employee asked for my email address to be eligible for their future rewards program. This guy was covered in tattoos and had so many piercings. He was dressed in women’s clothing. You could just tell he was looking for attention and approval, yet he barely made eye contact.
So I gave him my email, “nottheperfectcook@gmail” I told him. He laughed, looked me in the eyes and said he wasn’t the perfect anything. And I told him none of us are, and there was only one perfect Man. And he was crucified.
He looked away from me and said he couldn’t do anything perfect, and there seemed to be such a sadness about him. I told him Jesus told us to love His Father and to love others. We won’t get it perfectly right, but we can strive, daily.
He said, “You’re a kind soul. If that were all true, I would consider going back to church.”
I told him the church is flawed because it has imperfect people. But that Jesus built His church on an imperfect man, who betrayed Him. And we are all like Peter. Imperfect. But we can love.
“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” - Matthew 16:18 (NLT)
Gracious. We, you and me, are the church. And we have given the church such a bad reputation.
In our ugliness and nastiness and judgmentalness; we have torn it down. Demolished it. Burned it.
We can rebuild it.
We have to rebuild it.
How?
By loving the person next to us.
And then the next person. And then that really creepy, mean, hateful person.
If we just keep loving them so well and so hard, and leave the rest up to God, can you imagine what the church will look like to the broken people? It will look like a party village. Like a place of pure joy and love.
You and I are the church Jesus was referring to, and the powers of hell will not conquer it. We have to do such a better job of showing the love of Jesus to everyone. Even the unlovable.
Especially the unlovable. Because just think how changed this world would be, if the unlovable felt loved … and in turn, loved rather than hated.
And those who might be different, or live lives we don’t understand? We have to love them, even more. Make them feel seen. Make them know their lives are valuable and precious to Jesus. Love them so well, they understand Jesus loved them so much, He died for them.
We are the rocks. Just like in the Grand Canyon. The rocks remind me what we are. We are the church. We need to love everyone, and show them what the church is supposed to look like.