Rev. Peter C. de Vries, Ph.D. has served Old Union since November 1993.
To learn more about Rev. Dr. de Vries, go to FaceBook, Linked-In, or his blog.
FROM THE PASTOR
God is not like your in-laws. He’s more like the custodian. Or maybe the doctor. Perhaps I need to explain.
Every now and then when someone talks to me about why they don’t come to church, they’ll say something like “I have to get my life on track first. Once things are settled, then I’ll be able to attend.” In other words, they assume that only after they’ve taken care of the problems in their life will they be able, or worthy enough, to worship God.
When we think about God in this way, we consider him to be like our in-laws – and in-laws that make us uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be your in-laws, of course; God can be like anyone who makes you feel like you’re not good enough on your own. You need to make an extra effort to impress them if you want them to consider you to be acceptable. And even then, there’s always that lingering doubt that you’re not worthy.
But God is not like that person you have to impress. You don’t need to get your act together before you can enter his presence. While this attitude may be understandable when we remember that God is perfect and all-holy, it actually leads us into the exact opposite kind of relationship that God wants with us.
The instant that you feel like you are unworthy is exactly when you can come to God. The moment that you recognize your problems is when God wants you to you turn to him. As soon as you know that you need help, the best place to go is into the presence of God. His love for you does not depend upon you being “good enough.” He is the one who can help you when no one else can.
Imagine that you are dealing with a serious disease or injury. Maybe you’ve broken your leg, or you’ve come down with pneumonia. You’d go to the doctor for help, wouldn’t you? Could you imagine someone who thought that first they needed to be healed or cured before they could see a physician! Of course, you go to the doctor when you need their help, not after your afflictions have been cured.
Jesus made this same point when his detractors criticized him for associating with sinful people. They couldn’t imagine that a respected rabbi would enter the company of society’s misfits and rejects. In response, Jesus told them “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Jesus did not come into the world so that we could impress him with our holiness and righteousness; he came to meet us in our moments of greatest need and distress, to bring the healing and wholeness we cannot achieve ourselves.
God does not come into your life as a dinner guest to impress. You don’t have to get all cleaned up before he comes. God is the custodian who will clean up the mess. He will do the dishes, scrub the floor, and take care of the dirty laundry of your life.
In Christ,
Peter
God is not like your in-laws. He’s more like the custodian. Or maybe the doctor. Perhaps I need to explain.
Every now and then when someone talks to me about why they don’t come to church, they’ll say something like “I have to get my life on track first. Once things are settled, then I’ll be able to attend.” In other words, they assume that only after they’ve taken care of the problems in their life will they be able, or worthy enough, to worship God.
When we think about God in this way, we consider him to be like our in-laws – and in-laws that make us uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be your in-laws, of course; God can be like anyone who makes you feel like you’re not good enough on your own. You need to make an extra effort to impress them if you want them to consider you to be acceptable. And even then, there’s always that lingering doubt that you’re not worthy.
But God is not like that person you have to impress. You don’t need to get your act together before you can enter his presence. While this attitude may be understandable when we remember that God is perfect and all-holy, it actually leads us into the exact opposite kind of relationship that God wants with us.
The instant that you feel like you are unworthy is exactly when you can come to God. The moment that you recognize your problems is when God wants you to you turn to him. As soon as you know that you need help, the best place to go is into the presence of God. His love for you does not depend upon you being “good enough.” He is the one who can help you when no one else can.
Imagine that you are dealing with a serious disease or injury. Maybe you’ve broken your leg, or you’ve come down with pneumonia. You’d go to the doctor for help, wouldn’t you? Could you imagine someone who thought that first they needed to be healed or cured before they could see a physician! Of course, you go to the doctor when you need their help, not after your afflictions have been cured.
Jesus made this same point when his detractors criticized him for associating with sinful people. They couldn’t imagine that a respected rabbi would enter the company of society’s misfits and rejects. In response, Jesus told them “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Jesus did not come into the world so that we could impress him with our holiness and righteousness; he came to meet us in our moments of greatest need and distress, to bring the healing and wholeness we cannot achieve ourselves.
God does not come into your life as a dinner guest to impress. You don’t have to get all cleaned up before he comes. God is the custodian who will clean up the mess. He will do the dishes, scrub the floor, and take care of the dirty laundry of your life.
In Christ,
Peter
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | [email protected]
724-538-8672 | [email protected]