“God, help us to love our neighbors more,” they prayed at church on Sunday. After service, they filed from the sanctuary, not smiling, not saying hello to the person who nodded at them or offered a greeting. “I’ve seen her here before. She knows other people, I’m sure,” said one to herself. “Oh, there’s my friend, I’ve got to catch him!” said another. Yet another was busily thinking of all she needed to do that afternoon, and hurried her family out the door. Several others noticed a visitor who stood out as different and rushed over to greet him — surely if they singled that one out, they’d be loving their neighbor.
The person who’d been coming stood trying to say hello to someone, and finally shrugged and left.
The next Sunday, that person’s seat was empty… and the next, and the next. “She must not have been a Real Christian,” said one. Another said, “Oh, people just don’t love God anymore,” and another responded, “It’s the last days, for sure.” Still another sighed, “Any little thing and they leave.” Others excused themselves, “Oh, we’re introverts,” “I had other responsibilities,” “She should have done more,” “If she’d only stayed longer, sooner or later she would have had friends, I’m sure.”
Who was the person’s neighbor?
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Author: Through Grace
I was raised in a somewhat unhealthy church group within the Nondenominational Christian Church. After graduating high school, I began attending a United Pentecostal Church (UPC). I've been a member of four UPC churches and visited many others. Of the four of which I was a member, I was "encouraged" not to leave the first and then later sent to the second; attended the second where an usher repeatedly attempted to touch me and the pastor told me I should not care about the standards of the organization and was wrong to do so; ran to a third at that point, which threw me out after a couple years; and walked out of a fourth. For these transfers and because I refused to gossip about my former churches, some called me a "wandering star, a cloud without water" (Jude 1:12).
I love the fact that when the blind man was healed, questioned by the Pharisees and temple rulers, and expelled from the temple, Jesus went and sought him out. He very rarely did this once someone was healed, but for this man, he did. I believe God has a special place in his heart for those who are abused, wrongfully accused, or condemned by religious leadership. I believe He loves those who are wronged by churchianity--yes, churchianity, not Christianity, because those who do these wrongs follow a church, not Christ.
1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
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