Brokenhearted (Part 2)

My Jesus sits with the sinner, and so do I. My Jesus rescues the wayward, searches day and night for the lost sheep, dines with sinners, draws a circle around the guilty and steps in front of the stones the religious zealots are ready to throw. His gospel is real. It’s full of love and mercy and he changes people forever because when he challenges them to leave it all behind and follow him, he does it with a love so tangible the worst can’t resist. The murder becomes the missionary, the drug addict becomes the evangelist, the conman is the church treasurer, the prostitute is teaching Sunday school and the drunk ends up leading worship. My Jesus looks for messes to turn into messages. I know he does, because he came and sat with me when I was sick and broken. He didn’t point, he pulled me into his embrace and he changed my life .

So for the rest of my life, I’ll do my best to follow him step for step. I’ll find the person everyone hates and try to love them well. The homeless person that is treated like they’re invisible is visible to Jesus. That girl everyone loves to talk about, I’d love to get to know. The drug addict, town tramp, conman, felon.. broken, and soul sick, rich and miserable, arrogant jerk, marginalized … Jesus is coming for and so, that’s who I’ll break bread with. I don’t care what you think of me, I care that they know that Jesus loves them. I care that Jesus in me is real enough to do what he instructs us to do with a heart of compassion. I want to hear their story, I want to wipe their tears and pull them into his presence no matter how rejected and counted out they feel… I want to destroy that lie and replace it with the truth. I want them to know they’re exactly who Jesus is looking for.

Pastor Natalie Snider