"LOST"

Anyone see the new episode of LOST this week? It went into the life of Mr Echo, this Nigerian dude who writes scripture verses on a big stick he takes everywhere with him. Thing is, as with everyone in this series, he has a dark past...as a drug dealer. The story shows him being dragged off with these drug-dealer types as a child. He was taken by them, his younger brother was left in the village.
(Remember Jesus' parable about the workers in the vinyard? Same principle, different side doing the 'taking', though.)

The show skips ahead several years to another meeting of the brothers as adults. Mr. Echo is now a skilled killer and his name is known throughout the country as a man you don't want to cross. His brother, is a priest. There's this powerful scene where he's asking his brother for a favor and to hear his confession, but his brother says "I know God will forgive me, but he won't forgive you." OUCH!!

Is this sometimes the way we view evangelism? Is this the way we demonstrate the grace of God to our brothers who have gone through the torture of living hell on earth, and when they finally step inside the church we gloat over them saying "God will forgive ME...." Shame, church. Shame.

Remember, Jesus was the only one who stood up for the woman caught in adultery.
Jesus promised a thief he would see paradise as he hung beside him, dying.
Jesus spotted Nicodemus, the scum of the earth tax collector sitting in a tree, and invited him to have tea.
Jesus is looking for people who are desperate for Him.
And when those desperate people come into our circle, what do we do?
Do we share with them the hope we have in a Resurrection life today, or do we shun them based on some kind of karma theology and try to make them buy or work off their sins before being allowed into the fellowship of the saints...as if they could do enough good to make up for a life full of bad decisions, anyway?
Jesus paid the price for our sins. Will we continue to crucify Him in our ungrace, or will we embrace His lost sheep and celebrate in their coming home?