"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" James 2:15, 16

I was crushed tonight. I sat and listened to a man pour out his heart about how the church has failed to love the unlovable and my heart was crushed. As the church, as evangelicals, as people who say they love Jesus we too often fail to love people. We expect them to look like us, to wear the right clothes, to talk the right way, to live the right kind of life and then we will love them. We fail to love them just as they are.

One of my favorite hymns is "Just As I Am." "Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me and that thou bidst me come to Thee, o Lamb of God I come. I come." The reason I love those words so much is because I know that I was a terrible person that did terrible things yet Jesus saw beyond that. Jesus saw beyond the filth and muck of my life. Jesus bids us to come to him just as we are. "Come unto me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. Why then, do we not do the same? Why do we shy away from those who do not look like us? Why do we shun those who are from a "lower" societal status? Why are we afraid to step out of our Christian ghettos and go and love the world?

I pastor in a town of about 35,000 and my heart breaks for the lost. I am desperate to reach those who have been rejected and forgotten by the church. Our church does some good things that make a difference but they are "projects" that come along once a year and we seemingly forget about the need until the next year rolls around and we start planning the project again. I want to live out a life that lives and breaths brokenness for the community 365 days a year. I want our church to get beyond "projects" and make it our life.

I beg God to break our hearts. The words from a song we sang tonight are my prayer. "Let me not be blind with privilege, let me see the pain and suffering" With trembling I pray, God give me eyes to see the people around me as you see them. Give me a heart that breaks as your heart breaks for them. Give me arms that will hold them as your arms holds them. Give me love that will love them as you love them. Help me to be obedient and faithful to do what you have called me to do.

Help the church to make that their prayer. Help the church to show radical generosity of love. Help us to live out what we say we believe.