Purely & Graciously His

 I have seen this meme, or variations of it, often through the years. On the surface, it is true. We shouldn’t come to the church expecting to find perfect people. However, I truly believe this is a faulty analogy and I also believe it sets up a false dichotomy. In my experience, I have yet to find anyone who came to church expecting to find perfect people, and then who leave because they found messy people. Quite the opposite, really. They expected to find real people. Honest people. People like us. Messy people. We are told that “the church is a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints”, and yet….. and yet so often what we find is a museum where people and ideals are held up and revered, and a place where we are expected to heal ourselves. Sure, come as you are, be messy…. Just don’t show me your mess or get it on me. Don’t make me uncomfortable. And please don’t make me get in the mess with you. Sure, God loves sinners, but then He changes them, and well…. You aren’t changing e

by Jennifer Moodie 1/6/2023 “Christ is born, for you” These words from the song, O Come, All You Unfaithful, have been ringing in my ears for weeks. Over and over they have been repeating in my subconscious, constantly reminding me of the gospel- Christ, for you. If you haven't heard the song, take the time to listen. It has become one of my favorite "Christmas" songs. When I was still in the cage stage, the thought of Christ for me made me feel self centered. I had bought into what I now understand is “ worm theology ”. *edit to add: My friend, Sam Powell, just wrote this and I think it perfectly and more eloquently describes my thoughts on the idea that we are first sinners before we are image bearers- The Essence Of Humankind .* I didn't understand the Imago Dei, nor did I understand the fullness of Jesus coming as a human for me . As Dane Ortlund says in his book, " Gentle and Lowly ", "In the Biblical gospel, we are not given a thing; we are g