It seems as though after we lose a loved one we think of ourselves as damaged goods and no longer welcome in church. But, that is a big lie of Satan .

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

When I was younger I used to think of the church as a place where perfect people went to socialize and network professionally with others. My parents were invited one time to a friend's home where they thought they were going to have a fun time socializing and getting to know their fellow neighbors.

 Once they stepped in the door of their home they saw all of their neighbors sitting in a circle in the living room talking among themselves.  It wasn't long before a stranger they did not know shared with them the Amway get rich quick plan.  These friends attended the same church as our family.  They were, of course, upset that they were nothing more than dollar signs to this couple, and when the presentation ended they politely thanked them and left without making any commitment to the Amway plan. That was the last time my parents spoke with those neighbors.

What I'm saying is that people do not like being treated as projects so others can put another feather on their cap.  After my tragic loss in 2007, I began to see those sitting in the pews at church as imperfect people struggling with their own pain. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen over 100,000 people commit suicide with another 100,000 dead from opioid overdoses. When you factor in the 900,000 Americans who lose their lives to Covid-19 you can understand the monumental amount of grief out there. 

The question most of us should ask ourselves is this: "What would Jesus do?"  I think the words below written by someone else express exactly what He would do with those he befriends.  

You got hammered at the bar on Saturday, but came to church on Sunday….
You can sit with me, you’re right where you need to be.

 
You’re a drug addict who came to church high this Sunday….
You can sit with me, you’re right where you need to be.

 
You’re divorced and the last church you attended condemned you for it….
You can sit me, you’re right where you need to be.

 
You’ve had an abortion and it’s slowly eating away at your heart, but you came to church on Sunday….
You can sit with me, you’re right where you need to be.

 
You’ve been unfaithful to your spouse but came to church on Sunday….
You can sit with me, you’re right where you need to be.

 
Here’s the thing, people don’t come to church on Sunday for you to sit in the pew and quietly judge them because you feel that you’re somehow better than them.

 People come to church because in their deepest, darkest, most painful moments, they heard about a man named Jesus that could save their soul and transform their life and they’d like to know him.

 
The man that just snorted cocaine off his kitchen table isn’t a bigger sinner than you who told your boss a lie on Monday so you could leave work early.

The drunk man laying on the bar isn’t a bigger sinner than you who occasionally has too much to drink at home in private.

 
The woman that just got caught cheating on her husband isn’t a bigger sinner than you who had sex with your now husband before you were married.

 
Stop judging others because their sin is different than yours.
Romans 3:23-24 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 
There isn’t a person in this world too bad, too broken, too mean, or too damaged for Jesus to save.
Romans 10:13 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”