Unbinding Our Church Home
Mark 2:1-12
March 8, 9, 2008

I have shared this story before…and I will share it again. There has been a copy of it in the newsletter before…and there was a copy of it in last week’s newsletter. Our church leaders have heard it on several different occasions…and they will hear it again. The message of the story is so basic, so simple, so easy—that I see folks rolling their eyes or saying, “Well, duh!” But the message of the story is so basic, so simple, so easy—that we regularly forget it and fail to live it out. The story is told by a man who visited many churches in his community. He developed a rating system for the congregations, which was based on the reception and hospitality he received. He attended 18 different church families. He made a point of being visible at each worship service. He arrived early and sat near the front. He made a point of being neatly dressed. He smiled a lot. At each church, he would ask someone how to get to a specific place within the building. The rating scale he used was as follows: 10 points for a smile from a worshiper. 10 points for a greeting from someone sitting near. 100 points for an exchange of names. 200 points for an invitation to return to church. 1000 points for an introduction to another worshiper. 2000 points for invitation to meet a staff member.

The results? Eleven of the eighteen churches scored fewer than 100 points! That means that nobody even introduced themselves! Five of the churches scored less than 20 points! That’s less than two smiles! The man concluded: “The teaching may be biblical, the singing inspirational, the sermon uplifting… “But when visitors discover that nobody cares whether they are there—they are not likely to come back.”

IN CHAPTER 5 OF UNBINDING YOUR HEART, MARTHA GRACE REESE ASKS: “HOW’S YOUR CHURCH DOING?” Chapter 5 is part of our homework for next Sunday’s session—so I hope you will read it and pray about it and think about the question. How are we doing? When it comes to Christian hospitality, how can we improve? Generally, I think Beargrass does a pretty good job on the “first wave” of welcoming. Most visitors remark about our friendliness, the follow-up calls and letters, the bread ministry. But I would like for all of us to give some prayerful attention to the “second, third, fourth… waves” of welcoming. Reese describes these as pathways or “bridges” into the church family. Are we willing to crack open our cliques? Are we willing to do the hard work of talking to someone we don’t know instead of the easy work of talking to our friends? Are we willing to go out of our way to sit by newcomers, invite them to our small groups, pick them up, share a meal, write a note, make a call, ask them if they have any prayer requests? Are we willing to “take the roof off the place to get them to Jesus?”

IF YOU THINK THAT’S A LITTLE EXTREME, IT HAPPENS IN TODAY’S STORY. I don’t think of Jesus as having a home, do you? I think of him as wandering around with “nowhere to lay his head” as the 8th chapter of Matthew puts it. But here, in Mark chapter 2, Jesus comes home to Capernaum for a couple of days. Maybe it is? The place might have been a little dusty after all of that time away? But the word spreads that Jesus is back in town! People start to gather outside his door—then LOTS of people! In that crowd, there is a curious, caring quartet. They have a friend who can’t walk. They want to get him to Jesus to see if he can do anything. But when they reach the house, it is too crowded to get in. So, they have to find another way.

IN UNBINDING YOUR HEART, WE WILL READ ABOUT TWO KINDS OF BARRIERS WE MIGHT HAVE TO OVERCOME TO BRING OUR FRIENDS TO JESUS. First, there are internal barriers—the ones inside our heads and hearts. When we think about talking to someone about our faith, we can get stuck before the words even come out of our mouth. Usually it is because we don’t want to risk losing a relationship. Oh…we are wonderful worriers! What happens if I invite my neighbors and they say “no”? What if I make my friend feel awkward? What if people think I’m pressuring them? What if I come across as judgmental or a religious nut? What if…? So most of the time, we don’t talk to anybody about our faith. Then maybe we feel a little guilty about it—but we get over it. And guilt rarely helps to keep us motivated. These inner barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to even our closest friends.

Jeff was going through a difficult time in his life. He had been laid off from work just before his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The financial and spiritual struggles were nearly debilitating. Fortunately, Jeff and his wife had some dear friends. Two couples stuck by them through it all. They came by regularly and brought over meals. When Jeff’s wife died, they were there to comfort him. These folks were good friends—great friends.
After a while, Jeff began to consider returning to church. He hadn’t gone to church anywhere since he was a teenager. But he kept getting these Holy “nudges” to go back. He decided to try the church in his neighborhood first. When he walked into the sanctuary, there were his friends! Both couples had been going to that church for years. But they had never talked about their faith with Jeff.

The research from Unbinding Your Heart shows that these internal barriers that keep us from talking about our faith never fully go away. Even people who eventually get really good at evangelism still have resistance. Even pastors who lead the most successful churches say they still worry about losing a friendship or pressuring people. But they find other ways to work around the barriers. One woman interviewed in the study said that she found help with a simple redefinition of evangelism. For her, evangelism is sharing something she enjoys with someone she likes. This takes away the fear she has of being overbearing.

FOR THE FOUR IN TODAY’S GOSPEL STORY, IT IS A MATTER OF SHARING SOMETHING THEY THINK MIGHT HELP WITH SOMEONE IN NEED. That can be evangelism too. Or sharing something you need with someone else who needs it. Or sharing something that brings you joy or hope or peace—with someone who could use a little joy or hope or peace! That’s evangelism. Somehow, the four friends in this story have the courage to bring this man in need to Jesus. Somehow, they overcome their internal barriers. But then, they run into another one—an external barrier. When the four folks arrive with the man on the stretcher, the physical entrance is packed—it is standing room only! And people are not budging! I wonder how long they tried to push their way through before somebody came up with the brilliant idea of busting through the roof?!

EXTERNAL BARRIERS CAN BE EXTREMELY INTIMIDATING. We need to ask ourselves and God this significant, searching question: Are there any barriers that are keeping people from getting to Jesus in our church? Well, you may say, it’s not the crowds! But no matter our numbers, a church can feel crowded. Just because spaces are empty doesn’t mean they’re open.

In your mind’s eye, join me in a virtual tour of our church. First, think about our parking lots. For years, I have encouraged people who are physically fit and able to walk to park away from the building to make room for visitors and those with special needs. But every week, the prime spots are packed with long-time, physically fit folks. Where do guests park? Do we make them cross a state highway to get here? Do they know where to come in? Do they have to “dig through the roof” so to speak, like the paralyzed man’s friends? When they get to the entrance and come inside, are they greeted immediately? For years, I have begged for more greeters—but we never have enough—and we need more because there are more doors now.

Do we have enough signs to help people find their way around this place? When visitors come to classes or small groups, are there greeters ready to welcome them? When a new parent comes with a baby, do they find a sparkling clean nursery with ready and enthusiastic caregivers? When a visitor comes into worship, do they find ample room in the back pews? Are all of the ends of the pews taken?

WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE WHETHER THE HOUSE IN TODAY’S STORY IS JESUS’ HOUSE. But where is Jesus’ house? Chapter 3 of Ephesians says we are the very dwelling place of God, with Jesus Christ himself as our cornerstone. This is Jesus’ house.

During the next several months, I urge you to think and pray about the barriers at Beargrass. Explore the places in your heart…the internal barriers. Walk around the property…look for the external barriers. What can we do to make this place and our people more warm and welcoming?

I heard about a church that tried something new—they had their Vacation Bible School outdoors. They set up a New Testament marketplace street scene. Volunteers portrayed different Bible characters, including Jesus. And the children loved it—especially little Elizabeth! One day after Vacation Bible School, Elizabeth got home and discovered a bad scratch on her leg. She showed it to her mother, who gave the required kiss. Mom even put on the boo-boo cream and the fancy Band-aid. But that wasn’t enough for the little girl. She said, “I have to show it to Jesus; he can make it better.” Mom tried to explain that Jesus didn’t really live at the church, that it was a man in a costume, but this made it worse. She cried, “Oh, but He does!” At a loss, mom loaded her kids in the car and headed back to church. Of course, she didn’t expect anybody to still be there. But as they drove up, they saw some people milling about, taking down the outdoor decorations. The man who had been portraying Jesus was there, sitting on the church’s front porch. He wasn’t in costume, just in his usual clothes. But Elizabeth didn’t seem to notice. She shouted, “There he is!” She ran to him—and the man seemed surprised—but he held out his hands to greet her. The child told him all about her scratch and he listened patiently. Together, mom and Elizabeth and “Jesus” said a prayer. Then, like the man on the mat, the family got up and went home.

Friends, let’s ask God to bless this house. Let’s ask God to bless our hearts. Let’s pray together that every person who enters these doors… meets Jesus here.