Where Would Jesus Sit?

Matthew 9:9–13 NIV

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I would like to start off today by asking this question:

What if there was a place so safe that the worst of you could be known, and you would be loved more in the telling of it?

Social Experiment

What makes the bar more attractive than church?

Introduce 4 different characters I met during this time (Names have been changed)

Rico - spot him way off by appearance, flamboyant, pierced, dyed pink hair, and he is a part of the LQBTQIA community.

Did not drink at all. Came to play bingo. Was never welcomed in church, not even to play bingo.

Wayne - marine veteran. We both served in Afghanistan at the same time. He and 3 others in his platoon made it home alive. He watched everyone else die.

Suffers from severe PTSD. The VA can’t find a medication to help, so he drinks to self medicate.

He has trouble sitting still and he needs to tell his story and get support but he says he tried church but felt voiceless.

John - moved to the area years ago after a divorce. Does’t drink much now. Spends most of his time talking to people and watching sports on the bar television.

He’s lonely and finds acceptance with people who are just like him and not pretending to be better.

Wendy - bartender. Never saw herself doing this. Well educated. Started bartending part-time and left her successful job to be a full-time bartender.

She says the work she does is almost like counseling. She works long hours and listens to everyones problems without judgement or condemnation. She knows everyone’s name and everyone’s story.

There are countless others that I could name but after having repeated conversations with them and others, I came to realize that the church is missing something (and it has little to do with alcohol)

People are finding more love, community, acceptance, forgiveness, mercy and grace at their local bar rather than their local church.

Reasons

1. False sense of community.

How many of us actually see each other outside of church events?

How many times has someone from church been to your house?

How many people from church really know you? The real you.

You can have real community with God and still be a stranger in the pew.

2. Unspoken bias.

We all say that we welcome everyone, but if we dig down deep, there are people that make us uncomfortable.

Different race, those with mental challenges, college age, kids etc.

The church congregation is a direct reflection of those that make us feel the most comfortable.

3. Holier than you thinking.

We want people to be on the same or close to spiritual level that we are.

If they are not, it disrupts the group dynamic.

Kid in school classroom example

Our spiritual growth is individual matter and because of this, we should never be on the same level as someone else.

Anytime we try to get someone to our level on our time frame we are being judgmental.

Conclusion

We opened up with the reading from Matthew 9 where Jesus is ridiculed by the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors and sinners.

I wonder some times if Jesus was walking the earth today, where would he spend his time? Where would he choose to sit?

Please watch this video.

What if there was a place so safe that the worst of you could be known, and you would be loved more in the telling of it?

I believe this place exists. I believe it is the church. But we have a lot of work to do.

This question is the direction that I believe God is leading our church and it is the vision and direction we are heading.

This is why, before our annual meeting in May, I will be having a special Vision Night where I will lay out this direction in more detail. If you are a part of Lighthouse Church in anyway, then you need to be there. You should have received a special handout when you came in today with the date and time. If you didn’t, then please pick one up at the welcome center.

Invite up Worship Team

Close in Prayer