I haven’t felt like writing for a while. In fact, over the last couple of years every time I sat at my laptop I wanted to cuss or cry. And who wants to read that when you’re already getting a steady stream of it on the news and in your social media feeds?
A couple years ago, the church was given an opportunity to shine and we failed. Instead, we chose to worship fear, nationalism, traditions, and illusions of a glorious past while refusing to speak up for justice, love, and mercy. And our kids noticed.
I was told recently by a young person that they have defriended most of the older people from their church on social media. A few years ago, I sat with this kid excitedly as they shared all the church people who had added them on social media after they came to Jesus. I wanted to send messages to each one of the people my age (not necessarily older *cough cough*) telling them how proud I was of them and what a great way to build relationships with a different generation. But here I sat in heartbreak and a whole lot of anger listening to this same kid tell me they could no longer handle the continually shared political articles or how these folks put in a ridiculous amount of time sharing memes making fun of anyone who looked, lived, or voted differently.
Recently another young person asked, “Why do church people say that they love people who are different but then when they meet people who are different they’re mean to them or talk about them behind their back?”
I chose my responses to each young person carefully. I don’t want them to walk away from Jesus because some of “his people” don’t know him. But what do you say when our children call out and are sickened by our hypocrisy?
How do you continue to work for good in an organization that openly bullies, slanders, mocks, and abuses not only her own, but those she is called to disciple?
Our inconsistencies and fear-based theology have damaged our reputation to a point where we have lost credibility, with not only the lost but with our own children.
So, church, what do we do when we, like Babylon, have been weighed on the scales and found wanting?
When the veil has been pulled back to reveal our ugliness?
When those we trust to do the right thing don’t?
When you feel like an outcast in the one place you were told you belonged?
When our sins find us out?
We can blame the culture. Or the liberals. Or the conservatives. Or the government. Or maybe we need to quit blaming others altogether.
We’ve been watching The Chosen and love it. So many times throughout the show when someone is standing in front of Jesus upset or disillusioned he tells them to look at him. “Don’t look at him. Look at me,” he says, calmly.
Look at Jesus. What if we did? Not with the traditions and creeds that every denomination brings to the table but truly saw Jesus.
What if our moments consisted of trying to find the good in each person God put in our lives?
What if we truly wanted people to be like Jesus and stopped trying so hard to make them like us and our brand of Christianity?
What if church was more like a healthy, loving family and less like the business it has turned into?
What if we really were ambassadors of Christ and represented him with integrity in this broken world?
Church started as a movement then became a building with set times and specific rules. Worship became scheduled. Church became a social club. It’s not hard. Just follow the rules: believe correctly, vote correctly, exclude correctly, bully correctly, and you’re a member. Oh, and don’t forget to leave your money. If that’s the way it’s been for you then I would like to invite you to something different. Something deeper. Something better. Jesus.
If you’re feeling like you don’t fit in at your local church anymore or have no desire to return, remember, Jesus wouldn’t be welcome at the majority of churches in America either.
You may have lost your faith in a lot of things over the last couple of years and that’s ok, so did I. Faith evolves and moves and can lead us to beautiful places if we only have the courage to hold on to the Spirit.
Love radically. Love inclusively. Don’t waste your time flipping tables that Jesus left long ago. Build new tables. Invite new friends. That’s church.
The world is dying without hope and you have it. I promise you do! Dust it off. Shake it out. You are a people of hope and hope is never quiet. Speak it loudly. Our children are listening.
Paula Harrington is the author of Stories for Rebellious Living and compiler and editor of the books, Once Upon a Bible Class, A Common Bond, and A Sunday Afternoon with the Preachers’ Wives. She can be reached at harringtonseven@yahoo.com