I am always interested in the messages churches put on their outside signs. Every day I drive by a church in our neighborhood that says:'Go ahead and eat the chocolate. Just come worship with us Wednesdays in Lent.' It always makes me smile and actually makes me think I would like worshiping with this community that has a sense of humor.

Last week, I saw this one: 'Messes Welcome'. I did a double take. Messes, really? Welcome? After the message there was a listing of the worship times. A simple, yet profound, message that told me a great deal about this particular worshiping community. I have not been able to get these words out of my head. Messes Welcome.

Shouldn't this be the implied message that each church sends? As I read the scriptures it seems 'messes' are the norm rather than the exception. As we read the Christian scriptures leading up to Easter, it is sometimes astounding how the disciples rarely got Jesus' message, how they seemed to mess up at every turn. It is comforting in some ways because we continue to see his great love and compassion for them. As 21st century followers, it is good to know that, even in our messes, we are accompanied in love by the Holy.

The 'messes welcome' also applies not only to individuals. Certainly the church as a whole has done a wonderful job of creating messes. One could name the Crusades on a large scale and its smaller versions that continue to play out even today. Every day church bodies create messes of exclusion, injustice, judgment, and great pain. These are often done with the greatest of intention and without full understanding of the repercussions in the long term.

The part I love most about this message is that it implies the hard reality of what it means to be the church,humans doing the best they can to experience the presence of God together and to live the life of faith in their time. Those who have chosen to be a part of a faith-community come with all the wounds and brokenness of their lives each week. In community we look toward those around us to be the face of God in our midst, holding our prayers, holding our hands, holding our hearts. This kind of community asks us to take off our masks and be who we truly are, God's beloved ones, warts and all. And in so doing, we are blessed. Grace happens.

Traveling the spiritual journey with others is always messy……but always worth it. May we continue to welcome the messes. Together we can tap the creative energy of the Spirit to see ourselves through to whatever comes. It is what the church has always done, sometimes with greater success than others. But in it all, God shows up, and we are changed for the better.