Welcome To The Misfit Kingdom

But now since they reject the invitation with all sorts of excuses.

God says to go to in to the by ways and highways and invite the spiritually crippled, the lame and the blind.

That’s you….That’s me..

Legend has it than in May 20, 1974 a permiscuous , even possible minor prostitute gave birth to son,

This was in the days when abortion was legal. But by the grace of God this woman chose life.

She gave the young boy up for adoption and five days later he was welcomed into a new family.

At age 10 the news that he was adopted was abruptly spilt to him.

It was Easter time. He was on his knees on the kitchen chair dipping Easter eggs with his brother and sister. This young boy knew that his oldest brother John was adopted but he assumed he was a real kid.. a wanted kid……

His mother was testing the waters as she said,,”Well what if you were adopted.”

The truth suck in----- a crack zigzagged across his tender heart. His heart>>>>>>>>>.

O, it did not stay tender..

Feelings of rejection and bitterness filled the heart… regamortis began to set in..

And for the next 7 years, he tried to fight his feeling of rejection with sex, drugs& trouble,

And one night the accumulation of all the hurt as a outcast, as a misfit got the best go him..

He sat one Saturday night with a Remington 12. gauge shot gun in his mouth.. fixing a temporary problem with a permanent solution.

It was then when he suddenly remembered that he had made a promise to his best friend Karl Schad. The promise was to go church the next day.

And the next day after a church service in the office of Karl’s preacher… I was welcomed home… And I surrender my life to Jesus Christ… And this outcast kid was welcomed home. That was me.

My rejected heart for once felt accepted.. felt wanted.. felt needed….. felt home!

Don’t give me that pro-choice crap.. I am no less of a person because the way I was conceived… what the world throws out God throws in!

I guess the reason I tell you this sorry is because some of the misfits don’t look like they need welcomed home.. some maybe in your own own home.. but can I tell you something? They need to be welcomed!

That was not the only time I felt welcomed home.

During Bible College my wife Tina and I with our new baby Talitha went to the AMEC church.

African. Methodist Episcopalian Church

Talk about sticking out like a pimple on prom night….. w e were he only white people there

And then the Big black preacher asked that annoying question.. out of the 20 people in attendance plus us,

“ DO we have an guest today?”

And we with all 40 eyes fixed on us raised our hands.”

He said these two powerful words “ WELCOME HOME!”

I guess the reason I tell you this story is because Some of the misfits we need to welcome home don’t have the same color of skin we do….

That preacher must have read our text today!

He knew that because of the new invitation that have been prepared by God that all are invited to come. to come.. to come home!

( build some momentum and pace here )

And like a copper wire stretched between he batteries of heaven and hell JESUS was hung on the criminals cross to spark a flame that would burn down the walls that separate us from different social, racial and historical class.