Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (MSG)
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Around Christmas those “really good” advertisers do their best to capture the season and to try and capture our hearts as well as our bucks.
But even the staunchest of cynics would have to admit that the ad from APPLE featuring “Frankenstein” is a “heart-wrencher”.
And whether you are a card-carrying I-PHONE zealot or if you are like me and a little partial to the DROID and Windows, the message of “inclusion” in that AD is quite stirring.
From his efforts to “fit in” with his bulb purchase to the little girl who appreciates his heart despite his appearance and leads the refrain of “Home for the Holidays”, it is a good ad and more importantly a GOOD reminder.
As I have traveled around the tri-state this year one of my primary messages to the “church” when it comes to our community’s addicted has been one of INCLUSION. And while the holidays are a great forum for mending fences and building bridges, we have more mending and building to do!
A common theme among those my dear friends, colleagues, and teams serve, the addicted, is either they have never felt INCLUDED by the CHURCH due to their mistakes or the CHURCH has never tried TO include them, leaving them to summarize this whole “church” thing for themselves. And I have had countless conversations this year with struggling and recovering folks alike who feel that the church has disenfranchised them, has hurt them, or has excluded them.
The Bible is clear as to what to do to remedy this…
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. – Romans 12:15-18 (ESV)
You see what Paul said?
It depends on who? YOU! ME! US!
The question is do we do these things or more importantly will we?
I will be a little vulnerable this morning.
I had the glorious blessing to share a little version of the CHRISTMAS story with a few folks currently residing in the treatment center I work for these days and to be honest, I felt a little like FRANKENSTEIN on the way over.
Will they receive me?
These folks are the “tough” ones.
They DIDN’T want “faith-based” recovery.
In fact, for EVERYONE I ministered to on Sunday, this Christmas was their FIRST Christmas in “a while” that was shared and experienced without the dope and without the booze. Tatted and cynical they wandered in to the cafeterias, waiting to see if I was legit or if I was another “haughty” Christian “Frankenstein” ready to condemn, criticize or BORE them.
Thankfully there were a couple in each service who served to play the role of the little girl and break down the barriers and make ME feel “included”.
Friends we have a broken and hurting bunch of folks out there. It needs compassion.
It needs inclusion.
It needs others to invest and love them.
Mother Teresa said it best when she said, “If we are too busy judging people we don’t have time to love them”. I would go one step further, we can’t be inclusive if we believe we are “exclusive”.
I hope you caught that. We can’t be “INCLUSIVE” if we believe OUR GOD, our CONGREGATION, our SMALL groups, our friends are “EXCLUSIVE”.
So, the message should be clear today.
Find ways to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with the hurting too. Come alongside the “different” and show mercy and compassion.
Be available. Don’t judge.
Be the little girl to the next “FRANKENSTEIN” you see.
And at the end of the day, ask yourself…
Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.
Henri Nouwen
I love you all
OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE
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