Jump Start # 1644

John 4:17-18 “The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.’”

  These last few days we have been looking at those who seem to be left out, isolated and lonely in church. There are those who attend huge congregations but they feel all alone. Sometimes, it’s the way they want it. They don’t want to be close. Other times, it’s because the church doesn’t know how to respond, especially to divorced people, as we mentioned in our last Jump Start. There is one other area that I want to look at. It’s those who are spiritually messy. That’s the best way to say it. Their lives have been a mess. Maybe they are the cause of the divorce. Maybe they got a divorce for no other reason than they are tired of the person that they were with. Maybe they have bounced in and out of addictions. Maybe pills and alcohol has been a major part of their life’s story. Maybe their kids have been taken out of their home. Messy lives. Messy spiritually. It is those who have made such major mistakes in their lives that are often looking for something, anything. They look to Jesus. The church can run them off because they are so messy.

Our verse today comes from the story of the woman at the well. The text tells us that it was noon, and odd time for a woman to be drawing water. Most times, this would be done early in the morning so she could get about her work. This woman, a Samaritan, was there at noon. Did she run out of water and need more? Or, perhaps, she came at a time to avoid others. In a small village word gets around. She had five husbands. Nothing is said about what happened to them. Did they die? Did she run them off? Did they just leave? Who knows. She is with someone now, but she is not married to him. It could be that she gave up on marriage. There she meets Jesus. There she learns about the Savior.

Change the scenery behind this story. Instead of being in Samaria at a well, imagine it takes place at a church building in America. One Sunday morning, this woman and her man shows up for church services. She is greeted with smiles, handshakes and warm welcomes. A visitors card is given to her. It is noticed that her last name and his last name are not the same. Questions arise. Is this your boyfriend? She says, “we live together.” Shocked, the greeter silently steps away. Someone else comes up and welcomes the woman. They find out that she has been married five times. That person slips away. Someone mentions to the preacher that we have visitors today. Before he can make his way over to meet her, he is informed that she has been married several times and is currently living with someone. Disgusted, the preacher goes the other way. By the time services have ended, word has trickled through the congregation. “She is one of THOSE kind of people.” Some suspect that she is there to get money. Others wonder, why she is there. A few fear that if she comes back, it will make the church look bad. The common thought is that we don’t want to be too friendly because it might give her the wrong idea. And certainly, the church makes sure that doesn’t happen. Avoided. Shunned. Ignored. The couple leaves and never returns again. No cards are sent. No visits are made. They are forgotten as quickly as they showed up.

You know all too well that what I have written is true. You know all too well that in far too many congregations that would be the standard practice. You know all too well that the general attitude is that we don’t want her kind coming here. She may influence the teenagers, some suggest. Others believe that there is no hope in changing those kinds of people. Back to our comfortable and safe ways the church returns with little thought about what it has done. I know this is all too well, because I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it toward the divorced. I’ve seen it toward a young man who was sitting in jail. I’ve seen it toward those who are spiritually messy. Sometimes, Christians can act very unchristian.

I once was surrounded with such spirits. These comments would come out in Bible classes. You’d see a visitor getting the third degree of questioning as soon as they stepped in the door. Those attitudes plagued a generation of congregations. It hurt them. It ruined many of them. It took a while for me to rid myself of such thinking. It can be done. It must be done.

Now, some thoughts.

First, we ought to want anyone to come to worship, spiritually messy and all. At services, they ought to witnesses love, forgiveness and grace, something that they will never see on the streets. It is at services that they can learn about the holy God and the righteous life that He wants us to live. It is at services that we see that prodigals are welcomed. The church isn’t a place you go to after you have cleaned yourself all up. It’s for the hurting. It’s for those who have made mistakes. It is for those who are spiritually messy. Through the teaching of God’s word people can learn. Those messy Corinthians changed. They were immoral. They had wrong attitudes. They learned about Christ. They were washed, justified and right in the sight of God.

Second, I really doubt that Jesus rolled His eyes or looked disgusted with this woman at the well. He engaged with her in a long conversation. He didn’t toss her under the bus. She had a soul created by God in His image. She had a soul that Jesus would give His life to save. Too often, we see the problems a person has and we fail to see the soul that they have. Problems can be fixed. Souls must be saved.

Third, when we treat folks unkindly because they are messy, we forget that we had a messy side to us as well. We weren’t Heaven’s little darlings. We weren’t so soft and cuddly that God couldn’t resist us. We broke God’s laws. We trashed His holy name. We were selfish and sinful. We disappointed and broke the heart of God. Have you forgotten? We too, needed the cleansing blood of Jesus. Let’s get off the high horse and remember that messy people are but a step behind us. Every sinner has a future and every saint has a past. Did you forget that?

Fourth, don’t be so quick to draw the sword of God and lop off heads. “They need to be told that they are wrong,” and I suppose you just love being the one to do that. Are you the right one to do that? Are you doing that to drive them away, or to lead them to Christ? Are you doing this with gentleness, showing and teaching God’s way, or just pointing the way to the door? Be patient. The spiritually messy folks do not need fifteen people telling them that they are wrong. What they need is fifteen people who open up their arms, and with smiles, welcome them to worship. Let the leaders in patience help these folks. You, be a friend. You, be kind. “Be a friend to someone like that?” Yes. Exactly. Your kindness can build bridges to Christ. Showing that you care to someone who can’t do anything for you is just the point. Ask them out to eat with you. That’s probably not happened to them in light years. Invite them to sit with you. Tell them of other classes that they might be interested in. Help them. Don’t be guilty of running them off.

The prodigal left the pigs because he remembered how well his father’s servants were treated. He was a son, yet the servants at home were better off than he was. His father was a good man. His father was generous. If I can only get home, maybe, he’ll let me stay. Many folks do not know this about God. They blame God. They have a crooked view of God. They have been hurt and they have wondered why God allowed that? You can help them to know the truth about God. You can help them to know that you too, once were messy but now, through Christ, you are walking in righteousness. You can show them what a great life it is being a Christian. They’d expect the preacher to say that, but not you. Hearing you say that gives them hope.

If we are busy spreading the word, messy people will come. It’s what you do that will determine if they will stick around or not.

O’ to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer!

Roger