Hospital
Ever had someone ask you what your church is like?
.JPG)
It's tempting to tell them the easy answers: music is cool, you can wear jeans, the pastor is a great speaker/teacher, people are young (and old) and friendly, no one passes around an offering plate. Not only may those things be temporary, but they also aren't what truly defines my church.
Someone said it so profoundly the other day...'Our church is more like a hospital than a church.' .JPG)
It's just a group of people who aren't better than anyone else. We all have less than perfect parents, dysfunctional families, poor self images, bad choices, broken hearts, painful memories, and look to unhealthy things at times for acceptance, escape, and validation.
We come to this place in unison as hurt, screwed up, sick people looking for healing and love. I can imagine that sounds sad.
But, what is sad is how we lived life before...hiding from the truth, pretending to be above these things and instead feeling shameful, guilty, and alone.
Although we still struggle to understand it and allow it, God loves us when no one in the world would. He knows it all, all the ugliness, all the sickness. Yet, through His son, He forgives us completely. He heals us through His undeserved, yet unwaivering love.
We come together at church to learn about and get to know this God and His Son that accept us right where we are and love us right where we are. We come together to learn, to recover, to heal, to love and to celebrate.
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah" Psalms 32:1-5
That's my kind of hospital and my kind of healing.
"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'" Mark 10:27
.JPG)
Someone said it so profoundly the other day...
.JPG)
We come to this place in unison as hurt, screwed up, sick people looking for healing and love. I can imagine that sounds sad.
But, what is sad is how we lived life before...hiding from the truth, pretending to be above these things and instead feeling shameful, guilty, and alone.
Although we still struggle to understand it and allow it, God loves us when no one in the world would. He knows it all, all the ugliness, all the sickness. Yet, through His son, He forgives us completely. He heals us through His undeserved, yet unwaivering love.
We come together at church to learn about and get to know this God and His Son that accept us right where we are and love us right where we are. We come together to learn, to recover, to heal, to love and to celebrate.
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah" Psalms 32:1-5
That's my kind of hospital and my kind of healing.
"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'" Mark 10:27
posted by Sundee at 1:49 PM
.JPG)
2 Comments:
how beautiful and how true!!! i am so blessed to have you as a friend!
love,
the patient across town
p.s. even thought about writing a book?
So well said.
Post a Comment
<< Home