Our Sins

We are Your children, but we are no saints.
Ok, maybe we're saints theologically speaking, but we certainly act as unredeemed sinners.
We are Your church in America.
Wonderful sinful America.
"In God We Trust," we say tongue and cheek as we puff out our arrogant chest. Mine the furthest one out of them all.
Oh, the sin. The sin that makes us blind.

Favoritism
We speak to those in our circles and ignore those outside.
We visit the "important" people in the hospital, but quickly delete the emails from others asking for prayers in their sickness.
Elders and people from other boards we try to have as friends. Everyone else can get lost.
If you are powerful, "well, nice to meet you," and you greet and shake with a warm smile. Everyone else it's ok to walk by.
We have doors so that we can close them, and never think to keep them open.
All the poor, all the oppressed, all the marginalized are pushed out of mind.
But still we insist that our hearts are open to the Word of the God and to our neighbor.
There is no end to the favoritism in our world.
There is no end of favoritism in the church world either.

But our sins do not stop there.
We have forgotten how to pray on our knees.
We have almost forgotten how to pray altogether.
We have become too distracted by other things to care enough to diligently sit at the feet of Jesus.
Our unity is now in shambles and our world no longer turns to churches for hope.
We have run out the pastors who preach truth and replaced them with administrators and event planners.
We now rule with fear, rather than gaining followers by respect.
We have ways of shutting up the people with pesky voices calling us to pray, repent, and fast.
If you are a blade of grass that sticks up from the rest, but ready to be cut down by the people who hold the scepter of power.
We often muffle Jesus' voice.
We are guilty of the ugliest sins.
Lord forgive us of our sins, and turn our hearts to Yours.