“All are welcome!” Is that true at our church? Historically, it
rarely is true. In the gospels, the average Jewish person
would have thought it odd, even offensive, if someone who
wasn’t an Israelite walked into their place of worship.
Taking it a step further, some of the Jewish religious leaders
would imply that church was meant for those who zealously
followed religious customs and traditions. Those were
The Church God Wants | 5
“good church folk.” So church was meant for people of the
right heritage and who behaved the right way. What about
us? Is it conceivable that a stranger could walk into our
church and for some reason you would ask yourself, “What
is someone like that doing here?” Or, just perhaps, you are
asking that question about yourself? “There are some
seemingly godly people here. I’m not like them. Do I really
belong?”
Today, Jesus shows us that God wants church to be for all
people. All of us—regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or
social status—have the same problem of sin. And we all
have the same Savior. Therefore, anyone who comes to
Christ’s Church and cries out, “Lord, have mercy!” is more
than welcome.