A fellow pastor once shared the story of when his normally outgoing and boisterous father was in the hospital following a major heart surgery. While he was with his father, members from his father’s church came to visit and pray with him. His father looked frail and was hooked up to lots of machines, so he was not in the setting or in the emotional or conversational state that the fellow members were used to seeing him in, and the pastor observed that the visitors seemed awkward and uncomfortable at times while they fumbled with what words to say. The pastor noted and recognized their kindness and commitment in visiting during such a difficult time, but also could not help to think that they weren’t very good at it. In the end though, none of that apparently mattered, because upon their leaving his father turned to him and said with great conviction, "Anyone who doesn't have a church home is stupid."
While both my fellow pastor and I would strongly hesitate to use his verbiage as an outreach effort or argument for the importance of the role of a church community in people’s lives, the intention of the sentiment is nevertheless appreciated. There are times when God's people do not live up to the expectation to love one another which Jesus so clearly lays out for us. However, this is often less because we do not care, but rather out of fear. Fear that we won't do it right. Fear that we won't be enough. Fear that we will intrude where we might not be welcome. And yet, we have also experienced ourselves over and over again what love looks like in the company of God's people, in spite of (and perhaps sometimes because of) its imperfection. The kind of love that shares time, resources, hopes, and prayers even when they aren’t as polished as we might wish. Love lived out through the sort of folks who, though far from perfect, often do what they can to build up, to support, to simply walk alongside those in need. To walk in the footsteps of Christ to the best of their ability. Leading with presence rather than perfection.