Who are the unlovely?

I heard a sermon the other day where I was urged to 'love the unlovely'. A common refrain I'm finding. It seems to be the 'in' topic, one you could almost say is fashionable to speak about in Christian circles. Of course they were referring to the homeless, the poor, the addicts. You know, the 'unlovely'.

In the same sermon I was challenged to be like Jesus, to be radical in my approach. It was the same thing that I would have heard 20 years ago and thought 'right on brother!'. Today it leaves me flat. Let me tell you why.

Who are the unlovely in your life. I can bet it's not the homeless, or the addict. I'll bet it's your mother, or a sibling, your co-worker who irritates you more than anyone ever has, or maybe it's that person that you once called a friend but don't any longer because they've hurt you. It's easy to show love to the homeless or the addict. You just need to be accepting of where they are at, value them as a person and help to take care of their needs. It's not easy to love those closer to you. I suspect that they are the ones that you would truly recognize as being the unlovely in your life.

Jesus said it himself when he said that the poor would always be with us. He wasn't saying that we shouldn't take care of them, but that taking care of them does not rank higher than forgiveness. About that he says if there is anything between your brother and yourself to leave the place of offering and to go to your brother and be reconciled. He held that high enough in importance that He urged us to be active in our desire for reconciliation, even to leave His holiest place.

We talk about community a lot in our churches but I wonder if we really know how active we must be in creating it. A friend once told me that he loved how passionate I was about life. What I really want to be know for is a passion for community. One that reflects His desire for community with us in our deep desire for community with each other.