"I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places,
lookin' for love in too many faces,
searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces
of what I'm dreamin' of.
hopin' to find a friend and a lover;
I'll bless the day I discover
another heart lookin' for love."
This morning, during some reflection on the state of the world and the Church, this song popped into my mind. I think it is interesting how often the songs that seem to resonate so clearly with our culture, are the ones that are steeped in truths unseen by the blind.. the corrupt.. the lost. The first verse of the song says, "playin' a fools game hopin' to win and tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again." This line stuck out to me because it so accurately describes the monotony of cycling through the pleasures of this world looking for something to fill the void sin left in the heart of man. They do things over and over hoping to win, lying to themselves, misplacing their hope and failing to find fulfillment time and time again - a fools game. The song ends with the singer finally finding someone who is everything he looked for. In fact, he says that she is so perfect that he "blesses the day he discovered her." The irony is that he is still in his fools game, cycling through false hope. No person, experience, achievement, possession, etc can ever fill the gap that resulted from our fall from right relationship with our creator.
This world is searching to fill a void only Jesus can fill. For some people they try to fill it with social activism, others with sexual gratification or obsessive hobbies. And some, attempting to protect themselves from having their void exploited, attempt to defend themselves with isolation or anti-normative behavior - those "I don't care what anyone thinks" people. This is why society is so keenly attracted to the LBGTQ community - acceptance. Or why gangs are so popular in certain areas - belonging. Or why people are so instinctively "clicky." We are drawn to places where we will be accepted, included, loved, and where we will feel like we belong. This is a counterfeit of what God's will for the Church is. We were called to unity - regardless of differences. Remember the line from Paul's letter to the Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ." It doesn't matter what nationality someone is, their age, their skin color, their language, etc. We are called to be a family, bound in unity through Christ, and rooted in his love.
So, if the "right place" to look for love is the Church, where we find Christ's deep love, why do so many people avoid the Church so vehemently? Could it be because they don't see us as "loving?" There are two reasons for this. The first is simply because "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Corinthians 1:18). People hate the Church because the world hated Christ first. Part of the reason everyone "looks for love in all the wrong places" is because they are offended by the gospel of Jesus. That reason is clear. But the second reason is one we should concern ourselves with. The second reason is that we lack love in our churches, and specifically, we lack love as a people. We are unconcerned with the plight of the orphan, the affliction of the widow, the needs of the poor, the pain of the hurting. We pursue comfort, luxury, and achievement over sacrifice, self-denial, and a life of surrender. We give from our leftovers, and never from our first fruits. We make little of the great sacrifice of Christ and yet we make much of our own desires and temporal achievements. We push for people to "find themselves," to "follow their hearts," and to "do what makes you happy." We declare our ideals to be such things as "be true to yourself" and "its okay to put yourself first." Our affection and attention turned inward when it was designed to be focused outward. And because of this, sadly it is becoming difficult to find love in church.
So how do we replenish our love? How do we set our gaze outward? How do we become missional rather than content? We can't just make love. You can't just muster desire and drive. In this case, it comes from closeness with Jesus and consistent interaction with his Word. I am thankful to be a part of a church where they treat you like family. Where you are loved sincerely, and feel like your brothers and sisters really are there for you when you need them. But sadly, many people are not. Want to help the Kingdom grow? Show love. Be a place of welcome and refuge. Lead people to the RIGHT place to find love - a love that is true, that is abundant, and that is found at the Cross. Lead people to a place where they can belong, be loved, and be a part that will change them forever. Lead them to Jesus, the first of many brothers and sisters...
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