Secret Societies: Inclusive or exclusive?

You are now a member of the secret society of Jeep Wrangler drivers . . . there was no initiation, no handbook, no warning. It came out of the blue one day as I was driving my Jeep Wrangler and noticed other drivers waving to me. It happened several times that week before I realized all of them had been driving the same type of Jeep as I was. "Hmmm," I thought, "that’s silly" and decided I wasn’t going to do it. Soon, though, I did find myself returning their waves and it became a habit. A month later as I was driving a different vehicle, I waved to a Jeep Wrangler driver and received no greeting in return. I was surprised and felt slighted until I realized I wasn’t driving the Jeep!

I know this sounds silly but it made me think . . . I was still the same person even though I was driving a different car but the others drivers only acknowledged me when I drove a vehicle that looked like theirs. It brought to mind the experience I had when I was looking for a church home and visited many in my area. They may have been biblically sound and offered many programs but almost all of them lacked the same thing, an absence of connection with visitors. Other than an usher greeting me, rarely did anyone speak with me before or after service. People tended to gravitate toward those who were familiar and I was not familiar. I knew I was a person just like them, even if I didn’t "drive the same type of car as they did," and I yearned for a connection, a reason to stay, a validation that I was worthy to be there.

Do you find yourself talking with the same people every week at church? You’re probably not intentionally ignoring anyone, but visitors and even people within your own church feel ignored! Without connection they will usually not return more than twice or for regular attendees, they may become less and less involved in ministry.

God made this real to me just yesterday. I had partly written this blog on Saturday and when I arrived at church yesterday there was a woman who said she was sick and wanted to find peace with God. As we began singing, I was flooded with the words of this blog and was overcome with knowing that I had to go sit with her. I felt inept at being able to meet her needs in any way but I couldn’t shake the overwhelming ‘burden’ to move, so I did. After service we began talking about general things and before I knew it, there were things she shared that I could counsel her on because they were part of my own testimony. I hadn’t planned anything, I only wanted to make her feel welcome in a new place, God did the rest! Was it easy to move during service when others would see me? No. Did I feel stupid and completely inept? Yes. Did God give me the words and heart to talk with her? Yes! Was she blessed? I believe so.

I'd like to challenge you to speak intentionally, next Sunday, with a visitor or another member of your church family whom you don’t normally spend time talking with. It may feel strange to you but it speaks volumes to them! They are yearning for connection and that may be where they first see God’s love for them. You, too, will be blessed.

Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' (Matthew 25:34-36)

Be Blessed-

Jeanine Black