A Place for Sinners

Think of a time or place in your life when people really made you feel like you belong.

For me, my step-kids immediately come to mind. They were both nearly adults when Laurie and I got engaged. Tony was immediately accepting of me. Gina struggled a bit at first, but she very quickly saw how much I love Laurie and she became my fiercest defender. They are my family. I'm not sure I've ever had people so ready to accept me as them. It wasn't based on merit or achievement, it was based on love for their Mom.

Now think of a time when you’ve been excluded.

Scripture gives an example of this with the story of Job. Job had suffered unspeakable loss and hardship. His “comforters” told him that he must have some secret sin—some way in which he had fallen short in God's eyes—and that he was being punished. Job knew that he was a sinner, but he also knew that he was saved by grace and that he belonged to God. He knew his suffering was not punishment from God.

God did not send Jesus to be our savior because we are good. He did it because He is good. In the Gospel of John, Christ says,

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away (Jn 6.35-37).

We only need to believe in Jesus and come to him. And God is the one who gives us to Him! We do not earn His acceptance. Christ is the only one who could do that, and He will never drive us away!

To a person, the people that Jesus came to save are sinners, just like you and me. As has been the case from the beginning of the church, His call is going out into in the world, and the people who need Christ are responding.

Think of that time when people really let you know that you belonged with them. I want us to remember that feeling as we come to worship together, as new people come through our doors and we have the pleasure of meeting sinners whom Christ is calling into His church for the very first time.

They need to know that this is a place where sinners who know they need a savior belong, and that we will not drive them away. Grant them acceptance not based on merit or achievement, but on love for our Savior.