There seems to be this trend of Churches with "real" in their mission statement but I have to say when I walked into these Churches real was the last thing I thought. As a new person you get to see a lot. Some I liked, some I loved, most I was disappointed. Disappointed not just in one Church but the Church as a whole. The unwelcoming quiet that greets you upon arrival, the people gathered in their groups huddled around each other not looking to invite anyone new to their group, the ONE person out of hundreds that care to welcome you into their Church family. My mind starts to play "If we are the Body" by Casting Crowns
We are a family you cannot miss, we stick out in each Church we visit. With five kids under the age of 8 we are hard to ignore. Our kids don't want to go to Children's activities quite yet and rightly so, I like to have them warm up and so we take up a whole row in most Churches. Our kids tend to have one or two moments where they get wiggly and at times whisper sort of loud. You know the "Mom is it over yet?". On one occasion, at a Church we visited my youngest was having difficulty being quiet and bothering this young lady about my age in front of us. She shook her head at me and I felt shame and judged. Maybe I should of gotten up and taken him out. I am use to trying to concentrate with a 2 year old distracting me. As a Mom it hurt though, as a child of God it hurt worse. I wanted so bad to be fed, to have a chance to worship, the freedom of knowing the people surrounding me in the pews welcomed my children and welcomed how I am trying to raise them. In Christ. My soul was thirsty. My soul already jaded from this past year. The hurt I carry from the hardships. I am sure it was an isolated incident. I am sure this woman didn't represent her Church as a whole yet she did. She may have not even known Christ yet still this is impression I came away with that day. A Church unwelcoming of little Children. Unwelcoming of a Mom trying to do her best to find a Church in a new town. Didn't Jesus say in Luke to let the Children come to him?
How am I to feel invited into a Church if my children are unwelcome? The 'real' I am looking for is in the seats of the congregation. The Authenticity of people caring, sharing, showing Christ to me. What if I had been dressed in rags? piercings and tattoos all over my body? My real is so much more than a Church calling itself real, real preaching, real worship, real reaching out. The real Church I am looking for is one I walk in and feel welcome and one where they don't mind a 30 something year old women bringing her five kids into the "adult" service. A real Church would cheer me on, a real Church would offer help. A real Church would offer the child a glimpse of Jesus. Offer me Jesus.
So if you see me and my family come into your Church. Welcome us. Know that we are looking for so much more than how the worship goes, how the preaching is, having a service go off without a hitch. Jesus had a way of ministering to those that were an inconvenience to him. That is what we need to do as well. That is what this experience taught me. Pardon the interruption, pardon the inconvenience, look beyond the circumstance to the person. My one prayer "Lord help me show you. Let them see Jesus."
