LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle?

Who may abide upon your holy hill?

Those who lead a blameless life and do what is right,

who speak the truth from their heart;

they do not slander with the tongue, they do no evil to their friends;

they do not cast discredit upon a neighbor.

In their sight the wicked are rejected, but they honor those who fear the LORD.

They have sworn upon their health and do not take back their word.

They do not give their money in hope of gain, nor do they take bribes against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be overthrown.

~Psalm 15

 

"What do I wear? How do I act? What do I say? Where do I go?"

These were all of my questions as I was getting ready to join some family friends to go to their Methodist church when I was in middle school. My sister and I grew up going to a nondenominational church on and off for a couple of years with my dad and step-mom, but hadn't been back to church for years after they closed their doors due to lack of funding. By the time I was in middle school, my dad no longer had any interest in going to church and my sister was a proclaimed agnostic. If I was going to go to church, it was up to me.

My anxiety was killing me as the Sunday I was supposed to go with them came closer and closer. It didn't get any better after being picked up and in the car on the way to the church. I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I was holding my breath the whole time we were headed into the building and into the sanctuary. It may come as a shock to many of you, but it turns out, I was fine. The roof didn't come down on me, there was nobody checking my membership card at the door, and I wasn't run out with torch and pitchfork.

My anxiety and questions all boiled down to, "will I be welcomed?" and "do I belong?" Psalm 15 gives us an idea of who is meant to be in this tabernacle of God: the blameless, truthtellers, peacekeepers, and the honorable. They cannot lie, slander, or do any of that which helps themselves prosper while trampling the innocent. If you think of all the people in your life, who among us lives to these standards 100% of the time? The list is probably pretty small.

Enter Jesus who comes and seeks forgiveness for all of us when we cannot attain these seemingly impossible standards. Blessed are the peacekeepers, indeed. And blessed are you who sometimes lose your cool when your seven year old just won't be quiet when it is well past their bed time but then come to the cross seeking forgiveness.

So, who is in and who is out? That's not a questions for us to answer. Through Jesus Christ, everything has been changed. Through Jesus Christ, we are all found as sinner and saint and receive grace upon grace. Through Jesus Christ, YOU BELONG.