Good Enough for God

Several years ago, a local church in Jacksonville ran a newspaper ad that read:

We welcome everyone! We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay or just not sure, filthy rich, dirt poor, no habla inglés. And a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rail, or could afford to lose a few pounds. We don’t care if you’re more churchy than the Pope or haven’t been in church since little Joey’s baptism.

We welcome you if you are over 60 but not grown up yet, or a teenager who is growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems, are down in the dumps, or don’t like organized religion. We’ve been there too.

If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you’re welcome here. We offer special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or are here because Grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome those who are inked, pierced, or both. We welcome those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid, or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers, and doubters, bleeding hearts… and you!

We welcome you because if you’re good enough for God (and you are!), then you are good enough for us!

I love that. The fact is: you are good enough for God. Jesus made that crystal clear.

In the Gospel of Matthew, he offers this invitation:

“Come to me, all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, for your unconditional love for each and every one of us. We ask today that grace would fall like rain upon us. Heal us. Redeem us. Empower us to grow more and more into the image of Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.