Welcome Home: Embracing the Unembraceable

 ...despite all the scars he'd caused on society, despite the way he looked, despite his despicable image, despite his inability to conform, his father didn't choose "law and order", he embraced him and said "welcome home"

When Jesus spoke this parable of the Father's unrelenting love, he gave us an illustration of how beautiful and powerful God's grace is, telling us how the Kingdom of God embraces the unembraceable. He told us it doesn't matter where we've been or how we look, if we come, we're welcome - not a reluctant welcome, but an all-enthusiastic and all-embracing welcome. 

Yet, sadly, this message of love and acceptance has been gangsterized by Christian thugs who have chosen to imitate the older son. The church, too often, has been following these religious gangsters by choosing "law and order", choosing to cast out, choosing political ideologies, choosing condemnation, choosing violence, choosing their safety, choosing comfort, choosing to ignore our hurting brothers and sisters...

Too often, the Kingdom of God has been exchanged for the empires that tempt us. Too often, the Church is pledging allegiance to the wrong flag. Too often, the Church is seen as a black hole of despair and not a light on a hill. 

Having worked with those experiencing homelessness for decades now, I've heard countless horror stories. I've seen the tears. I've experienced anger. It's painful - because the gospel is not bad news, it's good news. Jesus brought redemption, not retribution. He came to restore, not reject*. He said, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Churches should be sanctuaries where the weary and heavy-laden find rest. 

George told me how he was told to sit in the roped-off section because he's homeless. People glared at Tina as she came in with her 7 children, she recalls all the judgemental comments about "birth control". Parents moved their kids away from Ike, they carefully watched him pointing into the air and muttering words to himself. They did the same to Sheila, who had a musty smell and grass in her hair from sleeping outside. They told Jamal it's nothing personal, but this Church "isn't for him", as they believe he'd bring unwanted riff-raff into their sanctuary. Instead of greeting Julie, an old man thinks it's his right to confront her as a trans woman, to lecture her about human sexuality and how has God rejected her. When Kwame wandered in, he was immediately confronted about his legal "status".

These women and men lament over the pain and trauma of walking into a church and being judged and condemned about how they look. These words and actions make them believe God views them with the same disdain and disgust. They all left discouraged and disappointed.

When churches and her members do this, they create this "us vs them" mentality. They have forgotten about the loving grace of God. Instead of saying "welcome home", they've chosen to focus on someone's sexuality, the color of someone's skin, someone's immigration status, who someone affiliates with, someone's lack of housing, someone's mental illness, or how someone dresses. 

Remember: He was still a long way off when he saw his father running up to him, and before he knew what hit him, his dad had embraced him, kissed him, and said: "welcome home". 

When Churches become preoccupied with their growth, image, and status more than the person in front of them, the poor are always cast aside. Pastors know there are dangers and risks of truly and honestly welcoming an immigrant, a trans woman, a prisoner, or any other marginalized person into their folds, it affects finances, attendance, reputations, and so forth. Whether, advertently or inadvertently, "those people" are silently shunned to promote those who will elevate and finance their church. What's more, the poor often become mascots - people to highlight, to show off how embracing they are to the world. It's a painful truth, I've heard these stories countless times, I've seen this played out time and time again, I've had too many people tell me God doesn't want anything to do with them because of the way they've been rejected by Christians. 

But this isn't the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus. It takes courage to go against this norm, to love the "least of these", to embrace the unembraceable. I write this to encourage followers of Jesus to follow his example, an example of grace, an example of acceptance, an example of embracing the unembraceable, an example of saying "welcome home". By following his way, we become the light of the world and the salt of the earth. 

My goal is to surround myself with those who live out his gospel, so together, we can embrace those deemed unembraceable. Together we can challenge the message of rejection by running to those who are rejected, hug them, and say "welcome home". My hope lies in weak and fragile people coming together to empower each other, letting one another know they're loved and precious in the sight of God - making us a powerful force in our communities. My hope lies in the truth Paul proclaimed in his first letter to the Corinthians: "Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?" My hope lies in the One who said "the first shall be last, and the last, first!"

My hope is not hollow. My hope is real - because I have the honor of being able to surround myself and be lifted up by those who live out the "good news" of God's Kingdom, by those who are willing to extend the grace God showered on them, to others.

I've seen and continue to see God's grace impacting our neighborhoods. Though language was a barrier, I saw it in those who'd play dominos with Humberto, a homeless elderly refugee. I saw it when a trans woman was given flowers and a hug because she moved from homelessness into housing. I see it in those who continue to rally and be a voice on the streets for black, brown, and native lives. I see it in church services like The Bridge, which picks up those who struggle with addiction, encourages them, gives them a hot meal, and tries to meet each person's individual needs. I see in those who visit and write to prisoners. I see it in those who visit the sick and dying in Nursing Homes and Hospitals. The examples are numerous, and I'm honored to witness them daily. 

It is truly beautiful. Thank you to those who inspire me, who embrace the unembraceable, and say "welcome home" to the "least of these". Thank you.  

*As a side note, the people Jesus rejected in the gospels were the ones who were doing the rejecting - the religious gangsters, the ones who mixed politics with their faith, the proud ones who were using their power and money to control, bully, and sustain the status quo. He said "come to me" to them also, but they rejected him and continued to pledge allegiance to the empires that controlled them. Sadly, not much has changed today!