Here’s the Kicker!

I am a Chiefs fan by default. I was born and raised in the Kansas City metro. I live and work on opposite sides of state line, and pay taxes to both Kansas and Missouri. I like when the Chiefs win the Superbowl because it usually means school is out or that I can work from home to avoid parade traffic. I don’t necessarily watch the games, outside of the the championship games. (I stopped watching the NFL years ago for other reasons.) But if you ask me who my favorite team is, I will tell you I am rooting for the home team.

So when Harrison Butker’s name started showing up on timeline, I raised my eyebrow. I seriously doubt Butker was anybody’s favorite KC Chief before this weekend. Now his jersey sales have spiked. There are articles on every corner of the internet. I glanced at a couple. I heard a couple of hot takes on social media, and then I read the entire transcript of his commencement address for myself.

I wish I could say I was surprised by the content, but I can’t. It was exactly what I expected it to be. The only surprise for me was that Harrison Butker is only 28 years old. (How on earth is he giving his second commencement address at that age? He’s still a baby in my eyes). He acknowledged the school administration, talked about the importance of his own faith, while doubting the faith of the current president. He said that “things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia,…stem from a pervasiveness of disorder”.

He told students to live their faith out loud, which I think is a great thing to tell young adults starting their journey into the career force. He gave examples of a couple of saints and told the students to walk out their calling. Again, solid advice.

But the part that both the detractors and Mr. Butker’s new fans are all hyped about is what he said after that. To the women of the class of 2024, the Superbowl Champion said, How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” He then told the male graduates of Benedictine to: “Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. ”

The truth of the matter is that I am ‘”churchy” by both nature and nurture, and I have heard several variations of what Butker said during his commencement address my entire life. “A woman’s place is in the home.” “Men are natural leaders and more suited to A,B, and the rest of the alphabet too!” I know some of you are upset about it, and I understand why.

But here’s the kicker. Harrison Butker isn’t saying anything new. Your priests, pastors, preachers, and pulpiteers have probably been saying this same thing for years. Some do it in back rooms. Others say it directly from the lectern. Worse yet, is that it’s not just church. Prime minister and presidents can also think this way,

I did find it a bit curious that Butker encouraged the graduates to move to a place where a traditional Latin Mass was readily available. I would like to adapt this message to you, dear friends and readers, not that you attend a church in a foreign language, but that if the place where you attend worship service is not life-affirming, that you find a place that is.

I don’t care if that place is a traditional Latin mass or a non-denominational gathering at a community center. Find a house of worship that works for you, a place where you can experience God and community. Unlike Mr. Butker, I don’t believe we’re living in a post-God world. But like the kicker said to graduates, you were made for this!

Hush! (Somebody’s Calling my Name)

I saw the clip of Pastor Keion Henderson that is making its rounds on the interwebs. The pastor is standing up before his congregation, seemingly in worship, singing “Total Praise”. ‘ His hands were lifted. His eyes were closed. At one point, he was speaking in tongues. In the background, we can hear a woman crying out. We can’t see her face for a majority of the video, but I assume she was also in worship. Besides the pastor’s voice, there was a smattering of clapping, and singing, but this lady was louder than the rest. Things take a nasty turn after that.

First he shushes the woman. Now, nobody loves a good shush more than me. The Bible says there is a time to be quiet, and some people need to be reminded of that. Heck, I need a reminder on a regular basis. I would almost be okay with the shush, but what came next was worse. He then snapped and pointed at this poor woman and told her to be quiet again. He told someone to stop her then he snapped and pointed a second time. An unknown voice says “Silence” and the pastor repeated “Silence, in the name of Jesus,” and then he walked away, still singing, but his hands were no longer raised and his eyes were noticeably open.

The pastor has since gone on a national television program to explain his actions. The internet seems divided on this one. And while I certainly have feelings about this, I’m going to set those aside for a moment, because honestly, since I first heard her cry, my focus was on her. This whole incident reminded me one of my favorite Fred Hammond songs.

Dear Sister in Christ,

Even if nobody else wanted to, the Lord heard your cry. I don’t know what you need or what your heart desires, but God does. I am praying that you receive the answers you are desperately seeking. I am praying that you have people around you who will cry out to God on your behalf when others try to silence your voice. Be encouraged on your journey. Know that you’re not walking it alone.

Now to the rest of us:

Y’all remember this song? Now imagine it as if it’s the Lord singing it to us, his beloved church. Don’t let our noise and nonsense be an obstacle to any one who is trying to get a prayer through. Sometimes, it’s us that need to hush!

From Worldly to Whack: Tye Tribbett Keeps Challenging the Church

Disclaimer: I didn’t listen to the Breakfast Club interview. I have never listened to any Breakfast Club interview. Unless and until they are interviewing one of my relatives, I will probably not listen to any Breakfast Club interview. Please do not tell me I need to listen to the entire interview. I’m not interested.

When my kids were young, we wore that Victory (live) album out. I bet if I put it on right now, my whole house would be dancing. I think we even got to see him perform with our church’s youth group.

I was grateful for the opportunity. The conservative Baptist churches I grew up in would never have allowed such a thing. All that jumping around and dancing would have been frowned upon. They would not have cared about the message, because the method was too radical in their eyes.

Tye Tribbett’s music helped to push the church forward. His high-energy, hip-hop influenced style spoke to a generation of people who were unmoved by quartet style gospel. His music was deemed too “worldly” by many congregations.

I’m going to be honest. I haven’t listened much to Tye Tribbett since the Victory Live album. I have gotten older and my music tastes have become more conservative. So I was a little caught off-guard when he was trending. I started seeing the clips on-line. My favorite podcasters were discussing the interview. I was surprised to learn that the interview had drawn harsh critique, especially since most of the people on my timeline had agreed with at least some part of what the gospel artist turned preacher said.

“The institution of the church is whack!”

Hold up, Mr. Preacher-man. What did you just say?

The church was having a fit, and not the good Baptist kind, either. Mr. Tribbett then acknowledged how he has benefitted from the church systems, and how he felt when he learned that God was not the church.

Now some critics argued that this discussion was equivalent to airing dirty laundry or that this was a discussion that should have been kept in-house. I don’t wholeheartedly disagree with that argument. As a long time member of autonomous Baptist churches, I don’t believe all church business is fit for public consumption. But it is my understanding that the Breakfast Club radio personalities all professed to be “church” people at some level or another. The problem, then, was not this small group discussion. It was the broadcasting of the discussion to millions, many of whom might not have any affinity or relationship with local churches.

Here’s the thing. Tye Tribbett was just saying on the radio some things some of us have been thinking for years. Some of us have been ostracized from our local congregations for saying it out loud. A lot of our churches have got to do better at administration, accountability, and transparency. That means that we, the people of these congregations, have to do a better job at having these hard, but necessary conversations, about how our churches can be better and implementing change.

I have heard several coaches and leadership experts talk about the difference between a “calling-out” and a “calling in”. When someone is called out, it is usually done in front of an audience. The exchange can be confrontational and there are rarely corrective suggestions. It’ a just a recounting of what you did wrong. When someone calls you in, it is generally a private meeting. Mistakes and corrective action are discussed, and it usually ends with a word of encouragement.

It is my belief that Tye Tribbett wasn’t calling out the church, so much as he was attempting to call us all in. I think he was trying to say that there are different and maybe even better ways to serve God and humanity than the way we currently do it.

Would I have said the institution of the church is whack on a nationally syndicated radio broadcast? Probably not, but that’s mainly because nobody is inviting me on said programs. Have I said similar things in the privacy of my living room, or in a church leadership meeting? Absolutely.

The difference between gossip and a productive conversation is the audience. In a productive conversation the audience has the power or ability to address the problem.

Who was Tye Tribbett trying to reach in that interview? If it was you, how are you going to address it. If it wasn’t you… why are you still talking about it?

Look Deep Before You Leap: What “Seekers” Can Learn from “Who TF Did I Marry”

So earlier this week, I was captivated by a young woman on social media who was recounting her experience of an early pandemic relationship. The poor lady had obviously been traumatized. She took responsibility for her role in this fiasco, as she told us the details of her failed marriage. She told the world the story of how she met, married and divorced a man in a span of about a year and a half. She told this story in 10 minutes increments, and the whole thing took around 5 hours, (less if you watched at 1.5 speed, like I did.)

The gist of the story is she met a man on the internet. They matched on a couple of the dating applications. On the way to meet him for the first date, her tire blew out. The man came to her location. He put the spare tire on her car, followed her to a repair shop, and paid for a new tire. He then took her to the cheesecake factory where they shared their hopes and dreams. They stayed up talking until midnight, and the woman became smitten almost immediately. They both said they were looking for marriage. Two weeks later, the world shut down due to the Coronavirus and they decided to quarantine together in her townhouse. She became pregnant. They started looking for a house and became engaged. He took her car shopping, but never bought her a car. They looked at houses. He claimed to make offers on a couple of houses, and they both fell threw. But he kept paying all the household expenses. He experienced multiple deaths in his family and immediate circle, but they persevered. She got pregnant and had a miscarriage. They got married. She caught him on the apps messaging other girls, and they wound up in marriage counseling after two months of marriage.

After some quick detective work, she learned that everything this man had ever told her was a lie. He lied about his job and income. This man was lying to her on a daily basis about his family and relationships. He lied about his parents and his siblings. The people she thought were his relatives were not really related to him. She says he was a pathological liar. I am not qualified to make such a diagnosis, but something was obviously wrong this man. As it turns out, the job and income he claimed to have belonged to a TWIN brother from whom he was estranged. The sisters he claimed to have were actually a cousin, and a stranger. The brother he had claimed to be speaking with on a daily basis didn’t exist. He had been married twice before, and to make matters worse, many of the people he claimed that died in the pandemic had been dead for more than a decade.

Poor Ms. Reesa-Teesa. For a year and a half, she dealt with this man and his shenanigans. The story ended in divorce and him being carried away in a police car. I’m sure that’s not what she thought she signed up for. The Tik-Toker says she recorded this information to help somebody, and while I as a happily married woman, don’t really need dating advice, I definitely gained some insight.

So here are the top 5 things church seekers can learn from the “Who TF Did I Marry?” series:

  1. A good first impression is not enough. It’s great that the church’s website answered all your questions. The online sermon clips blessed your soul. The choir sounds good and the preacher’s sermon had you shouting in your seat. Hold your horses their friends. One Sunday morning service is not enough to determine if this is the right place for you. Go to a Bible study. Attend a mission meeting. Do something other than Sunday morning. Anybody can make a good first impression.
  2. The second lesson is closely related to the first. Be willing to take in new information. Our blogging friend kept comparing what she saw to what she thought she knew, and her first impression won out every single time. When new information presents itself, we have to learn to process it. When confronted with one of her ex-husband’s lies, Reesa-Teesa actually looked for ways to let him out of it. That’s not cool, friends. Being a good Christian does not mean letting people take advantage of us. Not pastors, not husbands, not friends. We have to be willing to be honest with ourselves.
  3. Talk to your people. The blogger isolated herself. She didn’t tell her friends what was going on. She didn’t talk to her aunt, her mother, or her grandfather. She made decisions without receiving feedback from people who loved her. When considering uniting with a church, it is important to get opinions from people who are close to you. Find a friend or relative who has no intentions of leaving their own church to get an unbiased opinion of your prospective church home. And when they speak, listen. They will generally have your best interest at heart.
  4. TALK TO THE EX. If the church you are planning to attend is the offshoot from another congregation, it’s a good idea to check out that former church, too. Don’t go in looking for trouble. But do go looking for the truth. Sometimes churches split for good reason. Sometimes, its a holy hot mess. It’s best to know which one you’re walking into.
  5. Last not but least, know when it’s time to leave. Do not stay in a place that is not safe or good for your well-being. Get out when it’s time to go, but do not let your experience keep you from the faith. The Baptist church covenant says “We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church”. I am four years removed from active engagement in a church congregation and I am quite comfortable telling you that I am in no rush to recommit to a body of believers. Am I in violation of the covenant? Maybe. But the truth is, the words “as soon as possible” are relative. Rushing into a new relationship, whether with a romantic partner, or with a religious body , is a bad idea. We need to learn from our mistakes. We need time to process and heal from our trauma. Then, and only then, can we carry out the spirit of the covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

I have been married for quite a while, but I hear there is pee in the dating pool. I don’t want to be discouraging, but there might be a little residue in the baptism pool, as well. In the words of one of the Divorce Court judges, “Look deep before you leap.”

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Wanna Be

I really needed some good news this week. This week has challenged me to the point of tears on multiple occasions. I needed to hear from heaven, and my normal courses of action were not breaking through walls around my hardened heart…and then I saw a picture of the incredible Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart standing at the pulpit at the National Baptist Joint Board Session. Tik Tok and Youtube report that she is the first woman to ever do so. I knew I needed to hear what she had to say.

Rev. Dr. Stewart is a well-trained speaker in the tradition of a Baptist preacher. She gave us a good old-fashioned church prayer before the sermon, thanking God for last night’s slumber and the waking of the day. She acknowledged the dignitaries in the room, and called many of them by name. She thanked the presiding officers. She recognized her church congregation, and her intercessors prior to taking her text and then she read her text from the Bible. Her sermon was titled “What Then Shall We Do with Jesus?”, taken from Mark 15: 1-15, and Mark 27.

The sermon was a little long for my taste, and I didn’t love her use of repetition. I also hate when preachers tell me to turn to or talk to my neighbors. No thank you. That being said, the lady gave us a good solid sermon. Let me tell you how good it was. My teenage daughter, peeked her head out of a closed bedroom door to find out who was speaking. It is not an uncommon for me to be in our living room watching sermons on Friday nights…but rarely does it elicit responses from anybody else in the house.

The first thing that I noticed is that Dr. Stewart quoted other women preacher/scholars. Most notably, she quoted Dr. Renita Weems, twice. Dr. Stewart not only walked through the door that was opened for her, but she held that door open for the next woman behind her. The second thing that I saw was her ability to speak truth to power. This woman stood up in a room where she was probably barely welcome by some, and told her fellow preachers to stop using their spirituality as a cloak for their sexism, homophobia, and whatever other biases they had. (My daughter and I both gagged at that point!) The third thing that I noticed was how aware Dr. Stewart was of her surroundings. Her sermon, while anchored in ancient and spiritual truth was also full of present day applications and references. When she started speaking in tongues (Did I mention that this was a Baptist gathering?), she was quick to point out her Baptist bona fides, but acknowledged that she was also charismatic in her beliefs. 

Dr. Stewart ended her sermon by saying she wanted to be like Claudia, the wife of Pontius Pilate. She said that she, too, wanted to speak up for and defend Jesus, to stand up for justice, and to fight for those who would not or couldn’t fight for themselves. As I was watching her sermon, I felt like she was already doing those things. 

When I was a kid, being a “wannabe” was an insult. It meant you were trying too hard to be something you were not. I don’t think it applies here. The Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart belonged on that stage. The church would be doing a disservice to itself by silencing voices like hers. After hearing her, I want to be more like Jesus. I want to be more like Claudia, but I also kind of want to be more like Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart.

Go watch for yourself, and let me know what you think.

Church Girl: The Chorus (or The Importance of the Congregational Hymn)

Music is the universal language of mankind.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Music is an important part of many people’s worship experience. Whether you’re attending a cantata in Latin at your local cathedral, or joining in a Hebrew nigun at a historic temple, so many of our religious and spiritual services are enhanced by the beauty of song.

As a Baptist baby, I get excited when I walk into a church and see hymnals in the pews. Not only do those red or blue or sometimes even green books, serve as a good writing surface for when you’re passing notes in church (Don’t act like you haven’t done it!), they are a source of encouragement, and engagement for a lot of folks in the pews. When I was a kid, our weekly responsive reading was found in the back of the hymnal…except on first Sunday when we read the church covenant as our call and response selection.

I recently attended a Unitarian Universalist service, and one of the the first things I did was grab the hymnal to see if I could find familiar songs. I was delighted to see many songs that I had known since youth. The UU hymnal changed a word or two, so as not to offend, but the lyrics were mostly unchanged. That immediately made me feel a little less anxious.

Music has a way of bringing people together, and putting them at ease. Songs of celebration and songs of mourning cheer and comfort those in need. Music can be an all-inclusive experience…which brings me to Beyonce.

I seriously doubt that there was a soul at that concert who didn’t know any of the lyrics. Some of us even knew choreography. Everybody was singing and dancing. The Renaissance tour was a communal experience, and that’s what I believe our churches are aiming to be.

Have you ever walked into a church, and not recognized the decor, or the flow of service, or felt like you didn’t fit in for whatever reason…but then they sang “Amazing Grace” or recited a psalm you know? The relief that washes over you when you find something familiar in a foreign place in unparalleled. That’s what I want people to experience when they enter our churches.

We don’t necessarily need to change our music, but make it as accessible as possible for those who enter our spaces, already feeling like they are out of place. If you need an example, think back to the last time you attended a Vacation Bible School. Do you remember Father Abraham? I’m not talking about that new-fangled version with the hip-hop beat. I’m talking old school, nod your head, turn around, sit down, Father Abraham. The kids and the adults alike all jumped in. Even the shy quiet kids participated, singing loudly, laughing at each other, laughing at ourselves,. That’s the power of congregational singing.

Almost every church has access to those fancy PowerPoint systems now where you can cast the words to the screen. Or you could go old school and bring back the hymnal. Or just sing the chorus until everybody catches on…but the church is missing out on something when we can no longer sing together. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good solo. Nothing brings tears to my eyes more than a strong soprano singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” But there is so much power when we lift our voices in unity.

The Renaissance Movie is coming out this weekend, and I’m probably going to take my girls to see it. I’m looking forward to the visuals, the clothing, and the commentary. But I’m most excited about watching my girls, and countless others in the theater sing along to their favorite tunes…and I cannot lie. I’m probably gonna hum a note or two myself.

Look at the videos of Beyonce singing “Love on Top” when the audience modulates the key higher than she planned to go. She lets them run with it. She laughs, and sees how high they are are willing to go. Isn’t that what the church is supposed to do with the gospel? Run with it. Have fun with it. See how far we can take it… Judea, Samaria, and even unto the ends of the earth.

Just a thought.

For inspiration check out Tevin Campbell’s One Song.

Church Girl (Verse 1):

I’m just going to come right out and say it. The Beyonce concert was better than any of the church services I’ve been to all year.

I don’t say this lightly. I am a confirmed and confessed “Church Girl”. I was baptized in 1988. I believe in Jesus Christ. He is the giver of all life. From heaven he came down. Wait, those are song lyrics. I can state the Apostles Creed, but more importantly, I believe the words. I am faithful, maybe even to a fault. I love God, and I love God’s people and God’s church.

Yet, on Sunday, I chose the discomfort of stadium seating over the discomfort of a church pew. I could have honestly done both…but let’s be honest. This 40+ year old body needed rest if I planned to stay awake for the whole concert. Y’all know we could all use a nap after church. Plus, I wanted to participate in pre-concert festivities, which for me just included some last minute shopping, and hanging out with a good girl friend.

So, I know that there are several pastors and public theologians who are anti-Beyonce, and that’s their prerogative, but here are some things I would like for them (and you) to consider.

  1. The church is always talking about people of every tribe and every language getting together and being on one accord, like the Acts 2 church. I have never seen that in any church I have ever attended. Most American churches are as homogenized as the milk in the dairy section of your local grocery store. The crowd at Club Renaissance was not. What can your church do to draw a more diverse crowd?
  2. The performers were prepared. We have all been to church services where it was obvious that the choir had not rehearsed, the praise dancers were making up their solos on the spot, or worse yet, the preacher had barely even read the scripture before he got up to speak. At the concert, every single performer hit their marks. The whole thing was very well produced. How can your church improve the production value of your services?
  3. The concert was something I looked forward to attending. I was happy when I got there and I was happy when I left. From what I could tell, that was true of most of my fellow concert-goers. This was my first Beyonce concert, but I know that there were people who had seen the Renaissance tour in other cities who flew to KC for this final performance. They seemed just as excited as I was. What can your church do to encourage excitement for first-time visitors, and committed members?

The church could take a few lessons from Mrs. Knowles-Carter’s team. I’ll probably have a few more to share next week. And yes, I will still be talking about the concert next week. It was that good! I hope you can say the same for this week’s church service.

Have a good one.

The Burden of a Broken Body

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the blessing of a broken body. The universe heard me, and just a few days later, my own broken body betrayed me and I wound up in urgent care. I didn’t tell anyone, but my siblings and the people I live with.

Since I went to the internet to talk about the blessing of a broken body, I feel the overwhelming responsibility to share the burden of a broken body, as well. It’s only right.

There is a special sense of shame and embarrassment when your body doesn’t function as you expect it to. There is the pain of the actual affliction, and then there is the pain of not being able to trust your own body to do what it has been designed to do. When knees won’t bend, and steady hands begin to shake, you heart aches for what used to be.

No matter what your ailment, when your body fails, you feel a smidge of shame and a bit of sorrow. At least , that’s true for me. It’s why not even my best friends knew about my trip to urgent care. I was literally on the phone with my aunt when I pulled into the parking lot, and I never even told her. The burden of a broken body is that you often feel the need to carry that burden on your own.

Shame. Embarrasment. Loneliness.

I wonder if that’s what Jesus felt, as his body that was broken for us, hung from the old rugged cross. I wonder if that’s how he feels when his body, the church, fails to do what he specifically designed it to do.

Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, is ever-loving, and overtly forgiving of his failed body. I believe he’s calling me to offer that same grace to my own body.

My prayer for all of us is that we are grateful for the bodies we have, no matter how broken they are. May we use whatever energy we have to bring light into this world.

Thank you, Lord for the blessing and the burden of this broken body.

Amen.

The Blessing of a Broken Body

This morning, I read I Corinthians 11:23-26 as I took communion by myself. (Today I used Ritz crackers and cranberry juice because I didn’t want to crack open a full bottle of red wine.) As usual, I broke the cracker in half, as I do with my wafers when I’m in a church setting. I know it’s just symbolism, but by breaking the wafer myself, I feel I am acknowledging the role I played in the suffering of the savior.

I know a little something about broken bodies. I am not at my healthiest. I have multiple systems in my body that are not functioning as they should be. My knee might give out at any given moment. I need new glasses, and those are just the things I’m comfortable enough to share. It’s been just a few years since my last emergency surgery, and I am always aware that it could happen again. My body might not be completely broken down, but it is headed that direction. Sadly, I had friends who didn’t even make it to adulthood, so I know it is a blessing to be able to be in my body, as frail as it, and to be in my right mind enough that I recognize it’s frailty.

I am so much more dependent on the Divine in times of my own weakness. I have never called out to God more earnestly than from a hospital bed, or on the floor which has far too often been the case. The only other times I have called on God with such fervor is in times of grief.

I knew today would be hard for me. For the last few years, I’ve been one of my mother’s caregivers. (Huge shout out to my aunt who has been the primary caregiver for the last couple of years, and to my little sister who has stepped up in a major way these last few months.) Anyway, we are preparing to move her to a nursing home because she needs more care than we can provide. In January, she caught COVID and she has never fully recovered. Watching a loved ones body break down doesn’t feel like a blessing at all. There have been tears, swear words, and some stuff I’m too embarrassed to even write.

I am grateful today, for my mother’s body even in its weakened state. I am grateful for feet that that tread paths so that my way might be easier. I am grateful for her kind and open heart. Though I didn’t inherit those traits, I benefit from them more times than I can count. I am grateful that I can use whatever strength I do have to help care for her in her time of need.

Dealing with my mom’s health issues has taught me to be patient and prayerful. It has reminded me that God’s grace is sufficient, that his mercy endures forever, and his truth endures to all generations. The blessing of a broken body is that even it can be used for the glory of God. So I will give thanks and do what I can while I can. I do so in service to the one whose body is broken before me, and in remembrance of the one whose body was broken for me, in hopes that I make them both proud.

You’re Welcome!

My mother had a medical procedure that required us to check into the hospital at 6:00 am. As such, I spent the better part of my morning walking around a hospital campus. While others brought blankets and books, I brought my refillable water bottle and a set of headphones. I am not the type of person who can sit in a hospital waiting room for three hours. After a walk around the entire outside of the hospital, I found myself walking through the hospital, first in search of food, and finally in search of a water refill station.

If you know anything about me, you know that I also spent a little bit of time in the hospital chapel. I am always and forever in search of a sanctuary, be it in the noisiness of nature or in the sterility of a medical facility. I will always look for a place where people go to meet with the Creator. This particular hospital had a Catholic name, so I expected a prominent crucifix, and a Holy Bible. I found both. I also found the lectionary reading for this week, and an African- American hymnal that I’d never seen before. (I immediately flipped through the pages to see what songs I would recognize.) I was a bit distraught that “Holy, Holy, Holy” was not on page 2, as it is in the hymnals I remember. But I soon found a few songs whose lyrics were as dear to me as some of the Psalms themselves, the melody of which I could pluck out on a piano…And while this was an amazing find…it was not the best thing I found today.

Off to the side of the chapel, was a little room called the prayer room. This room beckoned to me much more than the chapel, so much that I visited it first. What I found there was a place so holy, that I felt like I was trespassing when I set foot in the outer room. When I crossed the threshold, the first thing I noticed, were the two large washrooms where you could wash your feet. Then I saw the sign on the door that led to the inner room that asked that I please remove my shoes…I would have but I wasn’t wearing socks. (I did mention we had to be at the hospital at 6am, right?) So I stood in the doorway, entering only with my eyes, making sure my shod feet never set foot on this holy ground. There was no altar, just a wooden partition, where maybe a prayer leader or speaker would be. I saw prayer rugs and cushions in a corner, and I knew immediately that while the space was clearly marked with a sign that said “All are Welcome,” that the space was not intended for me.

I wonder how many of our churches look like that to people who don’t look like, think like, worship like us. We hang out the signs to invite them in, but upon entering, they know immediately that the space is not for them. Heck. I’ve been to quite a few churches of my chosen denomination that made me feel like I didn’t belong. But if our churches truly are places where heaven and earth meet, then all should feel welcome when they enter our doors.

Can you worship in a place where you don’t feel welcome? I absolutely believe that you can. I have worshiped in places where it is absolutely forbidden (i.e. my job). My ancestors found holiness amongst people who doubted their humanity. I believe that if you seek God you will find God. But I also believe that many of our churches make God seem less accessible to some people.

I have no doubt that the Lord would have met me in that prayer room today. But I defaulted to what was more comfortable, so I spent a majority of the time in the Christian chapel. I marveled at the stained glass windows, and muttered a brief prayer of thanksgiving at the altar. But I feel like I missed an opportunity. I know that God exists in unfamiliar places, and maybe, just maybe, God wanted to meet me in a place I’ve never been before.

How many times in my life have I reverted to what was comfortable over what is calling to me? Lord, have mercy. How many times have I chosen what is familiar over what is fascinating? Lord, have mercy. Help me to make my spaces more inviting, and help me to accept the invitations that are truly meant for me. Help me not to stand in doorways peaking around corners, when you are inviting me into something deeper.

Amen.