Come As You Are

Years ago, my Mom would invite people over after church with the phrase, “Come over and wear your pajamas!”

Now, I don’t recall how many arrived in their actual jammies. 

But her point was really, “When you come over to our house, be yourself. Bring yourself. You don’t need to get gussied up. You can come as you are.”

Watch Last Sunday’s Sermon “What is Spirituality, Anyway?!” From our new series Messy Spirituality

People needed to know that at the Lippman house, there was no pretense, no performance. Instead we welcomed you as you are, jammies and all.

My question though, as we enter our new series, Messy Spirituality, is why did we have to tell church-people about the pajamas invitation?!

As Jesus followers we ought to be natural, ought to be most ourselves, we should be the most comfortable jammie-wearers!

Because of Jesus, we ought to be the ones most comfortable in our mess. 

And yet in the Church the opposite is most common. 

Unfortunately, the distance can grow between the person we are at church and the person we are at home.

We’re less and less inclined to wear our jammies…

But Jesus really meant what He said: “Blessed are the…poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…for theirs is the Kingdom.” (Matthew 5:1-12)

• Are you able to be yourself with Jesus? Jammies and all?

• Are you able to be yourself with others?

• What might be getting in the way of just being loved in your jammies?

In “Messy Spirituality,” we’re remembering that the Christian life begins in our mess and Christian spirituality can still be a messy journey in the years ahead. 

But it’s in our ability to be messy and be re-made that Jesus’ love is revealed in a hurting and messy world!

Then, even the messy lives around us are simply prophesying the healing love of Jesus just waiting to break in.

See you Sunday! Jammies and all ;)

Pastor Dave