Who is welcome in worship?

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Psalm 15: 1 NLT

Think about where you worship regularly. Is it traditional, contemporary, blended or something else entirely? What do people normally wear to your church? Is there a mix of casual and dressy? What do you feel most comfortable wearing there? Has anyone ever entered your place of worship and been obviously out of place?

Do you have greeters or ushers that control the flow of who gets in and out?

I remember reading about the time of civil rights protests here in the South. Many white "churches" would literally lock their doors so that only the acceptable (i.e. Caucasian) people would come. The answer that they would give to the first verse of Psalm 15 is "whites only."

I know of a couple of current traditional churches that only allow you to wear your Sunday best in church. They may not lock the doors on you but you can count on getting a really cold shoulder while trying to worship the Lord. The answer they would give? Only the properly dressed.

What if a homeless person entered your worship this Sunday/today? Imagine someone in raggedly clothes who obviously has not bathed in some time. How would they be received? How would your place of worship answer the question in verse one of this psalm?

God, you invite all to worship in your sanctuary. You invite all who see you to enter into your presence in your holy place. Thank you. May we keep this in mind. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims