Open Hearts! A Message from Pastor Chad
One of my favorite passages in scripture is Revelation 3:20 which Jesus says, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me.” Jesus extends an invitation to be present with us. Notice that he doesn’t push his way in or force himself on anyone. He knocks and waits, hoping we open the door. And whether it’s the first time or 100th time, when we do open the door we can envision Christ sitting down with us, sharing a meal, and being present within and among us. “Making him room” in our lives is not just something we do at Christmas time, but something we do all year around.
One of the ways we make room for Christ, is to extend hospitality to those who are friends, strangers, and even enemies. Christ embodies the hospitality that we seek to offer as a church. Christ welcomed the little children, encouraged the widow, healed the centurion’s son, and dined with “publicans and sinners.” We, as a church, are called to the same work. Making space for people does not have to be complicated or fancy….it happens with simple gestures…smiles, handshakes, eye contact, and connection. Being hospitable is not always easy. Remember that Christ welcomed a lot of people that we might not necessarily feel comfortable with…yet, still we are called to open our hearts to those around us. Open-hearted faith is about making room within us for the newcomer, for the returning face, for the person who’s unsure, for the stranger, and for God, who always shows up in surprising moments.
Open Hearts Matter!
This week, someone came to worship after being away for a while. After the service they told me how grateful they were for the welcome they received. No one gave them the “We haven’t seen you in forever” guilt trip. No awkward comments. No sideways glances. Just kindness and welcome. This isn’t the first time someone has told me that and I have to say…it is rare in churches. It matters more than you know! People who have been away, people who have been hurt by church in the past, people who aren’t sure if they’ll be accepted…your openness helps make it so much more likely that they will come back.
Celebrating Our Open Hearts Statement
As you may have guessed, this is Open Hearts week at MCCC. As a reminder, here is that section of our Welcoming Statement:
Open Hearts: We believe everyone is a child of God! As followers of Jesus, we’re here to love, support, and encourage each other and believe that nothing in our economic status, political beliefs, race, sexuality, differing abilities nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God we know in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:38-39). As an Open and Affirming congregation, we welcome our friends and neighbors in the LGBTQIA+ community and we’d like to learn from communities historically estranged from the Church.
What I want to celebrate is how this church has always tried to live this out whether it was written out or not. I’m thankful, however, that we have made it abundantly clear where we stand in a world that is so hateful and exclusive. Of course, we haven’t fully arrived…there is always room for growth and I know people see this as aspirational. I’m so proud of our church and know that we mean what we say and say what mean…and we will continue to seek living up to this beautiful statement of welcome.
Looking Toward My Last Sundays
As we get closer to my final Sundays with you, my last Sunday will be February 22. I want to invite you to be in worship if you’re able. These last few weeks together are a time to give thanks, share stories, and sit with the goodness of what God has been doing among us. It would be a gift to see you. Thanks for being the open-hearted, welcoming church that you are. I’m grateful for each of you.
With love and appreciation,
Pastor Chad
