Yep. We saw you at church on Sunday. Did you think we wouldn’t notice you?
As soon as your car pulled around the bend, the Parking Team radioed to each other that you had arrived. We watched you walk from the parking lot to the building before we opened the church doors for you.
Then in the lobby, you tried to blend in with the crowd as you went through the Sunday routine, like checking in children, grabbing a cup of coffee (caffeinated, of course!).
When you came into the auditorium, we saw you walk, walk, walk up the stairs to the top of the balcony, It’s where people go when they seek anonymity….but it’s also the folks we see the best from the stage. (Did you know that?) During worship, we heard you sing the wrong words a couple of times. Then when I asked everyone to bring out their Bibles you had nothing to open.
Yep. We saw you.
But, did you see us?
Did you notice us smile at you when we opened the door and when we handed you that cup of coffee or message talk points? We prayed for you that morning, too, because we know sometimes getting everyone ready and out the door takes an amazing amount of negotiation skills and patience. When we watched you walk up the stairs, we silently praised God that you made it. And those lyrics? Even Matthew messes those up every now and again. (Seriously.) And a Bible? Those things are heavy! No worries if you don’t bring one. That’s why we put the Scriptures on the screen.
But, here’s the truth about this open letter. It’s to all of us. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.
We are all sinners. We all fall short of God’s perfect plan for us, but God loves us anyway. His grace is bigger than our past and our sin.
So, when you come to church on Sunday, know that the smile we give you is one of understanding. It’s a smile that says: Welcome to Oasis, where things and people aren’t perfect, but our Father is. We trust you can relate.
See you this weekend!
Eric Camp for MS House District 111 