Judging the Book by its Cover

 

August 2022

Years ago, waiting for church to begin, I watched a group of young adults enter and sit down. They were dressed like they’d just left the clubs and came to church. They had a young child with them, dressed in a suit. I thoroughly judged them, not necessarily as unfit for attending church, but ill prepared to do so. Makes me wince to even remember that. The service began, and midway the pastor announced a child dedication. Most often it’s young parents bringing a baby for dedication, but this day it was one of those young people walking up with the little guy in the suit. I remember it very clearly because I was so thoroughly humbled. The pastor said something like, “our prayer is that you will one day come to know Jesus as your Savior, just as your mother has so recently come to know Him.”

Walt Wangerine wrote about a woman, Yolanda, who had an unruly child who had disrupted the service multiple times, asking Pastor Walt if “there is room in this church for me?”  The young woman at my church was probably wondering the same thing. It takes a lot of courage to walk into a church on Sunday. I wonder how many strangers actually do it? I don’t even like to walk into new churches.

I am reading Dane Orland’s Surprised by Jesus. He talks about how Jesus redefines the “in” group. The religious leaders had such issue with all the people Jesus ate and fellowshipped with. They were outsiders, wrong for someone of His stature. The religious leaders would never stoop so low. Simon, the Pharisee, in Luke thoroughly judged the woman who came in and knelt at Jesus’ feet. “If only he knew who she really was,” Simon thought. And unknown to Simon, Jesus not only knew who the woman was, He also really knew who Simon was.

The church has made it so difficult for people to come and feel welcome. Even when externally we offer a handshake and a cup of coffee. Would we invite them home with us? Do they feel they have to hide who they really are in order to be accepted?  If they shared about their divorce, their alcoholism, their homosexuality, their abortion would they still be welcome? On equal footing?

I am glad churches have become less formal, although my mother would struggle with coming into the sanctuary in casual clothes.  I know different clothes cause us to behave in different ways, but I like that today people could walk in and probably see someone wearing what they have on – jeans, t-shirt, normal clothes - rather than suits and dresses. Even pastors have stopped wearing ties. My dad would struggle with that, my grandfather even more, since he wore a tie gardening. J  But what does it matter what we wear if we are still judging people who walk through the door? Or would if we could see inside them?

Ortland reminds us that we are all sinners saved by grace. We need to remember that every day as we encounter others. And those sins are not on a grading scale. Sin is sin, and every one of them nailed Jesus to the cross. My sins are not better than anyone else’s. It doesn’t matter if I have never done X, I’ve done Y and that misses God’s standard just the same. Thank God He doesn’t judge us by what we’ve done or haven’t done. No one would be admitted.

But Jesus paid that price for us, so that sin is no longer the impediment for our being part of God’s kingdom. But sin continues to plague us, and separate us and fill us with condescending judgement. How wrong is that? How backwards? God went to great lengths to forgive us, and we continue to use what has been forgiven to separate us from each other.  Part of that is our refusal to admit sin is still there. Yes, Jesus paid the price, but we will sin. We think we shouldn’t be sinning, and so we have to pretend we are not. We pretend because it is impossible not to sin.

If we could just admit that sin is still in us, and no sin is any worse than another when it comes to separating us from God, maybe we could do a better job of opening our hearts and doors to fellow sinners, rather than judging them unfit for our company.

 

July 2023

Before school ended I learned that one of my fellow teachers was a Christian. I was surprised. And there it is again, that judging a book by its cover rather than seeing people as Jesus sees them. I was both humbled and delighted. I wonder what people think of me when I don’t know anyone is watching? I hope they can still see Jesus.