We’re Glad You’re Here

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.

Romans 15:5-7 BSB

When I was a kid, one of my favorite places in the world was my grandmother’s bar and truck stop. I liked having an unending supply of soda and peanuts and candy bars. I also liked to shoot pool and play the juke box for free. But the big attraction for a really shy kid like me was the feeling of being completely accepted. Everybody knew me and seemed to genuinely enjoy having me around. I even had a nickname: Shorty.

In the ‘80s, there was a TV show called “Cheers,” about a bar in Boston. Despite it’s less than Christian content, I loved it immediately. I especially liked the theme song. It reminded me of Rena’s Hilltop Café:

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name

(From the iconic theme song of the TV show Cheers, written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo.)

Thirty years later this song was voted the best TV theme song of all time. You see, almost all of us want to be part of a community where we’re known and wanted.

For all my Christian life, I have asked the question, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I felt as accepted in church as I did in Grandma’s tavern?” Life in this fallen world is a constant stressor. Wouldn’t it be great if the church was a place where you could just sit down at the bar, heave a sigh of relief, and have someone who cares call you by name? “Whew, I made it! I’m safe.” Thank God for people who know me, and love me anyway, who talk to me even when they don’t want anything from me. That’s church.

I’m praying for your service today, no matter where you are. I pray that the God who enabled you to endure the week will enable you to experience harmony with other believers. I pray you will be able to glorify God together with one mind and one voice. I pray that God will give you grace to experience His acceptance and to share that acceptance with the people you meet. They need it. You need it. God wants it. Cheers!