Anyone Welcome!

Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.
Mk.3:35

Jesus identifies who can be included in his family. Anyone!

"Anyone" emphasises that it doesn't matter who. All are welcome into the family of God. "God wants all to be saved." (1Tim.2:4). 

I've heard it said that if our congregation doesn't include people who look different, sound different, act different... then we're in danger of becoming a club and there are clubs out there that do it better. 

Does my parish project a wide open door of invitation to the oddballs, deadbeats and reprobates? Do I? 

"So go into the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests." (Mt.22:9-11)

I think Church history is filled with times when groups have had a genuine encounter with God and then built a picket fence around the experience and started issuing membership tickets. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit quietly steps over the fence and moves on. 

Jesus, help me stop building fences and start building bridges.