Throwing up in Church

Throw up or vomit according to the dictionary means to eject matter from the stomach through the mouth.  If you have ever thrown up then you know it can be much more than that.  Throwing up can be a vile, toxic stench that comes spewing from your mouth and nose with such force it shatters the calm of life.  It can accompany sickness, pregnancy or children.

My first experience with throwing up in church was when I was a young child.  It was close to Christmas and we were practicing for the Christmas program.  My brother kept pointing behind me and of course I had to twirl around to look.  I remember we were singing 'Away in the Manager' holding song books pretending that we could read the song.  I am not sure if I made it to the second verse because after about three twirls of looking behind me a foul, disgusting stream of chunks expelled from my mouth and onto the song book.  I was very mortified and put the book on the altar and ran to the bathroom.  Several minutes passed and I went back toward the sanctuary and peeked through the door.  The room was empty, the song book and throw up gone.  Someone had cleaned up my mess.  There was no sign that I had left something so noxious at the altar.

Another 'adventure' with throwing up in church involved my first born son.  He looked so clean and sweet on that Sunday morning.  I had him in on my lap during worship service.  I was cuddling him close when he made an awful noise that brought forth a small river of ill smelling, slimy looking yuck.  I gathered him close and tried to sneak from the service but left a few puddles of vomit on the pew.  I wiped at it with the edge of my dress and slunk out to clean my son up.  I ran to the nursery and took care of him then tried to sneak back into the service with a wet rag to clean the pew.  I got to the pew but someone had cleaned up the vomit.  It was gone.


Both times I felt embarrassed but God's family wiped away the mess and left it clean.  I know you might feel ashamed at the thought of throwing up in church but God  wants our throw up.  He wants us to bring our vile, depraved, toxic selves to His altar.  You might think that nobody can cleanse your vomit but God can.  He paved the way, with His Son, for us to bring our vomit and throw it up to Him. 

John 3:16-17 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.