Our youth ministry is in the middle of a series called "Fanatic" and this week we wanted to challenge students to radically love people like Jesus did. I realized that if our students were going to change the way they looked at people, we were going to have to do something drastic! So we did, we put a bum in the corner of the room as people walked in. Not a real bum, but a student we dressed as one, and wow did he look real.
As the night progressed, and the stares and looks continued, I finally closed my talk by calling him out of the corner, and sat him on the stage finally removing the wig and hat. You can probably imagine the look on their faces as we revealed his real identity.
My closing remarks were this: Although they may not look like this, there are hundreds of people we come across everyday, that are hurting, lonely, depressed, and are in need of love. Jesus saw these people, spent time with them, and loved them, often times making them well. If we are to be like him, it's time we take radical steps to do the same!
Stop and take time this week to simply love people!
