So this is my first blog, here goes!!!
By the time you have read this it would have been rewritten several times. I hate intro's. As a poet, I always struggle with them the most. However, this blog, came about from my reading of Matthew 9: 9-13.
9Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, "Come along with me." Matthew stood up and followed him.
10-11Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?"
12-13Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."
So this sparked a question. "Why Are We Here?" Don't take this as a judgment on the Church, Christians, yourself or anyone else. I'm actually judging myself but I'm sure there are those who share the same sentiments that I'm about to share. There have been plenty of times that I have noticed people who I have deemed as being unworthy to hang around church folk. Despite my believing the text ( by text I mean the good book) when it says "all have sinned" and "all have fell short". Despite a clear understanding that there is "no one more righteous" than any other person. I judge. But, who am I to judge someone based on the sins they appear to or have actually done?
We've all done that. Looked at someone and said, "Why are they in Church?" We've formulated opinions based on people's sexual orientation, alternative lifestyle, alternative religion, criminal and/or unchristian-like behavior patters or more. And we consider ourselves to be privileged and therefore we belong in the building and they most definitely do not. Even outside of the building. We may have friends who we may have elevated to a higher sainthood than many, and wonder why they hang around certain people. Yet Jesus, the Christ, you know the guy who we claim to follow and love and want to be just like, hung around people who were considered to be the scum of the earth. So, why? Why would the cleanest man around spend time with what people considered to be the dirtiest? Why would the healthiest person on the planet congregate with the filthiest?
I believe that he understood God's ability to change lives. Furthermore, he understood that this change took place on the battlefield and not at the base. He calls the church a hospital and hospitals are for the sick, not the healthy. Clearly he did not mean the building because he was at dinner when he made the statement. However, this scripture reminded me of why I am here. If we never spend time with those we perceive to be lost, how the heck will they ever be found? If we are the light and we hide ourselves from those in the dark, how will they ever see? So suppose we are right about the individuals we have prejudged. All the more reason to engage them. We clearly can not be happy with ourselves if all we do is sit in a building and marvel at what we do for each other through song and dance and we never try to help those who need it the most. This is not just the responsibility of the evangelism team at your place of worship. It is all of ours. If the general, Mr. Jesus, understood the responsibility of the hospital, his hospital (since there would be no such thing as Church or Christianity if he was not born, murdered and resurrected), then why don't we? We are not here to merely encourage each other through testimonies. We are not here to just pick a day out of the week to show praise to the most high. No, Matthew 9 reminds us that we are here for the weak, the sick, the helpless, the foul, the disgusting and the whatever you want to call the them.
The more I think about it, I’m not to far from being one of them (said with my two fingers on both hands doing the bunny action). The only difference is I know I’m sick. I see my symptoms. I come to the hospital regularly for check-ups. I know the cure for this disease requires daily doses of my prescribed medication. THEY DON’T. So if we are not going out of our way to help the sick, then I ask you my fellow doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc (hope you get the analogy), WHY ARE WE HERE???
