Welcome to Church…and yes I have your shorts

Like many people we Sullivans decided to get out there and enjoy the warm weather, and after consulting the kids, it was obvious that the beach was where they really wanted to go.

To be honest, I’m not really sure why it took us so long to get there.

With the lake only ten minutes from our house, and beautifully warm days stretching back several weeks…

…there really was no reason why we couldn’t have gone sooner.

There was a problem though;

No one could find their bathing suits.

It was then that the great woman I love came to the rescue.

“Don’t worry,” their mother said, “I have your shorts.”

It is similar to what happens every Sunday isn’t it?

Many well intentioned people finally show up to Church, and they almost always forget their bathing suits.

You know what I mean.

The theology, the basic Christian message, the sense of community, the liturgical movements that make up our great moments with God; these people have forgotten all or some of those things.

And the question is,

‘Why do we wait for them to show up naked for us to notice?’

Here’s a thought.

Let’s go out to meet them with shorts in hand long before they recover childhood memories of that building down the street.

Let’s bring the Good News with all of its power to their lives long before they decide to do something simply because the weather and the family are in agreement.

Let’s call it ‘street evangelization,’ ‘peer to peer ministry’ or ‘parish outreach,’ whatever you want, just as long as we start giving them what they need.

You are surrounded by literally hundreds, maybe thousands of people who would consider returning to their Faith…

…but won’t for now,

…simply because they feel the experience would make them too vulnerable.

Here is your chance.

“Hey,” you can say to them at the water cooler of their lives, “I have your shorts.”

You can do this. in Christ, patrick