A Christian Apology

What good is a hospital, if sick people can't go to it to feel better?

What good is a church if people that make mistakes can't go to it to get the support, help and, love that they need?

A hospital was not made for healthy people.

A Church was not made for the perfect.

It says in Romans, none of us are perfect.

If a church was for the perfect it would do no good at all.

Some of the people I know that don't go to church just don't feel like it has any relevance. They don't feel like it would meet their needs. Church to them is not important.

Let me ask you this, have any of you ever been hurt by a church in the past, whether you have felt judged or unloved, or disowned, or unappreciated? Or like the church didn't care about you?

I don't know about you but some of the people that I talk to have had some kind of bad experience with the church. 

Now whether that is because of something the church did or not I don't know, but I can tell you that it is a very sad thing. The church's job on earth is to represent Christ and all too often it has done a poor job doing that. 

And so today I would like to make an apology, I would like to apologize on behalf of the church and say I am sorry!

I am sorry if we have hurt you in any way in the past!

I am so sorry if we have portrayed God in a bad light for you!

I am sorry if the history of the church has made you look down on God. Because the church has looked down on you.

I am sorry if we have neglected you.

I am sorry if we have made you feel lift out, or unloved.

I am sorry if we have gossiped about you.

I am sorry if we looked down on you because of your past.

I am so, so sorry!

I am ashamed of how we have treated people, and I want you to know that our hearts are changing. 

I am sorry if we have looked at you like you didn't belong here.

I am sorry if we ever acted like we were better then you, or acted like we had it all together. We Don't!

I am sorry for any heartache we caused you.

I hate that we have let you down.

I feel so terrible, and I apologize.

I hope that we can give you a better understanding of what God is like.

God didn't want this, he didn't want his people to think they were better than everyone else. He wanted them to love like he did.

The Church that Jesus planted was one of love and salvation. A gift available to anyone who accepts it. Will you accept it today?