Emphasis Preaching Journal

The Pharisees were always complaining that Jesus and the disciples spent all their time with bad people. The Pharisees thought they were the fine, upstanding citizens of the day. They were educated. They were powerful. They wore beautiful clothes and lived in nice houses. And though they were intrigued by the teachings of Jesus, they just couldn't get around the fact that Jesus and his followers were always slumming around with the dregs of society, the tax collectors, the sick and possessed, the foreigners and the prostitutes. They were of the opinion that Jesus and his followers spent too much time with the sinners.

A pastor got in trouble with the church leadership because he insisted that the sign in front of the church read: "Prostitutes welcomed here." A board meeting was called and the pastor was told to change the sign. So he changed the sign to read: "Criminals welcomed here." That didn't go over well, either. He changed it again to say: "Alcoholics and Gamblers welcomed here." Another board meeting was called and the pastor was told to change the sign again. Again he changed it: "Mentally ill and HIV-positive people welcomed here!" A certified letter came demanding he change the sign again. The next day the church sign read simply, "Pharisees welcomed here." What does the sign say in front of your church?