A pastor I was listening to recently made this statement:
"Religion, by its very nature, attempts to define who's in...and who's out."
I once lived in a neighborhood that was quite new. We were the first owners of our house, as were most of our neighbors. It was a very small community but rapidly expanding and our neighborhood had been the first in the start of what would become quite a housing boom. And what I found interesting was the attitude that many of the homeowners in our neighborhood (not the long time residents of the town, though) regarding the status or requirements of the even
newer homes being built and what those people should be able to do or not to do. There was much talk of preserving the rural nature of the town and not overburdening certain systems but what it boiled down to was a simple (and un-neighborly) message. The attitude was very much "We're here; now close the door."
It reminded me of junior high. There was the "in" crowd. And there was everyone else, left to form the friendships they could among the misfits (at least that seemed to be the attitude of the "in" crowd.) The "in" crowd was very confident in their position but definitely placed a line that few could cross before joining their ranks. It was a position of privilege, and the only way to maintain the status was to limit the number of people allowed.
That's not an encouraging thought. Do religions make it that hard for people to find God when they are looking for Him? Unfortunately, yes, often they do. And it seems that for centuries Christians have been doing the same thing. Jesus was very harsh in his statements to the religious rulers of his day:
"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in." Matthew 23:13 (ESV)Does this mean that we can't tell people about God's plan for their life and the need to accept Christ's payment for the enormous debt of sin that each of us carries? Do we need to be preaching an "everybody's in regardless" message? I don't think so. But sometimes it might mean that we need to remember that in the end each person will stand before God, not us, to give account.
Instead of trying to be the judge, we need to remember we are the former convict that can offer guidance to the person facing a life of imprisonment. Instead of a nose in the air, we could be offering a hand of help. As the pastor summed up, we who have been rescued should be the first to join the search and rescue team. Not just to say "I told you so!" and leave them in their situation but to offer to bring them home to the love of a Father who is waiting for them. The grace and mercy that saved us are available to everyone.
None of us deserves to be there but rest assured, there's plenty of room in the "in" crowd. Let's make sure that we make that clear.
