photo: CCO public domain
I know it’s crazy, but the first thing I thought of was Cheers!
Yes, the bar. A place I have spent very little time in my life.
But I love the motto: “Where everybody knows your name.”
It’s the place where everyone feels at home.
Where they can be themselves.
And most of all, where they are loved no matter what.
Of course, the people there all need to have a few drinks to be able to be accepting, but still…
When that show came on, I wished for the churches we served to be places like that.
Places where people felt the love of Christ for them…
No matter who they were. No matter what their problem.
I think people felt that from individuals in those churches for sure!
But I’m not sure they felt it from everyone. Churches are full of broken people!
But then I think about all the places we want that kind of love and acceptance. stop
There is usually some family member that fails to measure up to our desires
When it comes to love and acceptance.
At work, in the best of places, there is always someone we don’t enjoy being around.
The same goes for Church where everyone is at a different level of maturity.
Of course, some will be difficult for us to enjoy or even find much with which we have in common.
Maybe our expectations of Church are higher than other places.
But one thing we can do is to be the ones who love, accept and care for others.
We may not always feel loved enough by other people.
But that empty place can often make us more aware of those who need our love or our special welcome.
We can provide a welcoming place for people to show them the welcoming arms of Jesus.
Cheers showed a caricature of the real thing that we all want.
Love and acceptance. People who laugh at my jokes. People who get me.
It is only truly found in the gracious, loving arms of Jesus…
The One who made the first move toward us, to mend our broken relationship.
The One who created me from the inside out and knows me intimately.
And He delights in me!
The Lord your God is in the midst of you;
he is mighty to save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you with his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.Zephaniah 3:17
My husband and I also thought the Cheers theme should be the theme for our churches. Everyone wants a place where they can go to be loved regardless oh who or what they are.
absolutely mandy:) it is clearer and clearer in our culture that the truth of I corinthians 13 is truer than ever these days!
We all long for that acceptance and place of belonging. If we figured out how to do that in the body of Christ…LOOK OUT WORLD!
yeah tammy:) starting with a couple of you together deciding to make your church a welcome place for people of all kinds. if you don’t have any good ideas of how to do it…even if you do, get together and pray about what to do and how to do it. then listen and pay attention to what happens. you will be surprised at how GOD shows you what to do:)
I will be singing that tune now. It is so true- the church can be the first place people run to feel accepted and loved. I long for us as body of believers to live as though the Lord of Lords and King of Kings knows our names and lives- because once we live like we’re known and loved, we too can welcome and love on others.
Loved your words today Martha, keep writing my friend, your words have great impact!!
thanks brandi:) glad you found it helpful.
Great post! It is so true that we all want a place where we people know us and we are accepted as we are. The church should definitely be that sort of place. Having recently switched from a large church to being part of a new church plant one thing I love is that everybody knows one another. It is such a contrast from walking into a room where you feel surrounded by unfamiliar faces every week even after going there for several years. I love the reminder that whatever our own experience of church is we can all play a part in making it a welcoming place for others.
carly,even in smallish churches, i have often heard the complaint, “i don’t know these new people.” my response, often stated as tactfully as i can, is “this is your church home, it is up to you to get to know them and make them feel welcome.” of course, it depends on the person and if they are going thro’ a hard time. it’s not always appropriate.
but our taking responsibility for part of the problem helps too. i watched a video by nancy guthrie on grief given a couple of years ago at a gospel coalition conference. i put it up on my grittygrace.com fb page. it is very practical and helpful and applies not only to grief. you might want to take a look. https://www.facebook.com/grittymartha/?fref=nf
Tara Ulrich and you….hmmm.
🙂
Wow. I’ve never thought of that song in connection with the church but what a lovely standard to hold up to our church members – greet people by name in a voice that says you are glad to see them and glad they are there.
in my case, i don’t always know their name, kay. i almost always recognize their face though…and i usually remember details of their lives. so i smile, welcome them, ask about a detail and most of the time, give a hug:) communicates so much love doesn’t it?
Funny thing, Cheers was the first thing that popped into my head too. Great minds think alike. I want church to be more like that too “a place where everyone knows your name!” I’m in the #7 spot this week.
considering i would normally think of a bible verse and i drink hardly ever, it was a little crazy:) i really hate the smell of beer! i do like what i perceive the be the camaraderie of a bar. but i’ve usually found great camaraderie in the church…of course not always! i especially found it to be the case growing up. there were many older people who were very encouraging and loving along the way.