Wearing masks and gloves

I realize this is not about heresies and I promise I will get back to them eventually but I thought that this was an interesting story and point I wanted to make.

I was in the hospital today visiting a man who was in “reverse isolation,” meaning he could not be touched and we had to wear masks over our nose and mouths. I had had this experience before, but it was normally because the person lying in the bed was contagious and therefore I did not want to/should not tough them unless I wanted their problem to become my problem. However, this time was different because the man was being protected from me. The hospital did not want me to get my germs on him.

I was almost indignant; I am healthy, what is he going to get from me? I mean I can understand me not wanting things from him, but come on; from the way he looks he could use some of my healthy germs (if there was such a thing).

My fear is that those two things are problems plaguing the church.

I. We feel that those that are “sick” should not be touched. We do not want to invest in their lives nor do we want to touch them for fear of getting their germs. I am reminding of a time when we were taking campus wide communion. The speaker was discussing how we were going to take communion together, and “this was an act that we could all participate in as Christians.” Furthermore, “When we were taking communion together it was how we recognized we were all sinners in need of Christ’s love.” The communion was to be served from one person to the next.

I watched as the girl in front of me took out her “germ-x” and put some on her hands. I remember thinking “how thoughtful of her to not want to get her germs on the next girl.” However, she then passed to “Germ-x” to the girl serving her and said, “Would you mind using this?” I couldn’t’ help but chuckle “so much for us all serving and getting our hands dirty together.”

What breaks my heart is that I think we as the church are “germ-x”ing people out of the kingdom. Do not show up here until you’ve cleaned up a bit.

II. I have determined as I watch some people within the church that call themselves believers, I DO NOT want our new converts meeting them. These people are negative, rude, cynical, and most of the times showing very little fruit. They are so “clean” that they see no need to interact with non-believers if not for the chance to put them, the pastor, the church, or other Christians down.

When I bring someone new around I want these venom-spewers to put on a mask and gloves. I don’t want their “healthy germs” getting on the new people and making them sick.

How sad is it, that there are some people, and some churches whom I want to cover them up so they want infect the unchurched world before I can get to them?

My Prayer is that I will never be in either of these groups. Lord let me live my life in a way that I’m not scared to get “dirty” with the unchurched, but let me stay “clean” enough that when I do interact with them, I don’t infect them with germs they may not have had before.