perfect people

You remember making paper people? I attended a lot of vacation bible schools at a variety of churches as a youth. One of the projects that stick out plainly in my mind is paper people.

You remember the project. Its the one where you neatly fold the paper, cut out a little man and woman and then open it up to reveal a magical little congregation. There they dangle before you, all worshiping, all proper, all perfect, all the same.

But today as I look back on that project it makes we wonder. White, perfect people that just barley touch... and are all the same. Is that really what we want our congregations to look like?

All too often we try to make worship like this, perfect, white people, all the same, just barely touching. We discourage behavior that doesn't match a norm. This behavior is called horseplay or rowdiness. Its frowned on and even punished.

Often we treat our churches more like country clubs than houses of worship. We want only nice people that sip their tea or coffee the same way that we do. We don't want sinners and we don't want poor and we don't want anyone of ill repute. In fact we boot those people right out as soon as we hear the gossip of their misdeeds. We grab stones and hurl them with joy so we can keep our country club fresh and clean, our teas and lunches filled with proper sippers and proper sandwich-makers.

But Christ's love isn't like this. Its radical and transforming. Christ sought out sinners, cheaters, traitors, whores... He made these people his. He fellowshipped with them, brought them into his fold. He ministered to them, healed them, forgave them, blessed them... restored them... made them whole. Jesus didn't want perfect little people all just barely touching. If he wanted that he would have spent his time in the temple with the Pharisees. Instead he went to the real people and hung with them and preached the Gospel to them and radically changed their lives. No his church as a motley band of fishermen, tax collectors and outcasts. They did amazing things that those in power feared, hated and turned their noses at. In the end, they crucified him for these radical acts. But that couldn't keep him down.

Don't conform. Don't just be one of many in the line of perfect paper people. Be original. Follow Jesus. Leap out of that line of perfect people. Be a radical Jesus Freak embracing the world and sharing God's love.