Why has the Church missed this?

Okay this is a bit of some ranting and ravings as I have been struggling with this a lot lately. While this has been on my mind I read something today in my Bible study which really got me fired up and I have to get it out so for all who are brave enough to read this let me know what you think. My frustration and sometimes anger is directed with this view of forgiveness or sometimes the lack there of, and repentance from the church. (I'm not specifically listing churches but more to church as a whole.) I've been struggling with this notion of how the church views sin and then how it treats the sinners. It's like the concept that we are all sinners SAVED BY GRACE has been lost and it's all about that we are sinners and terrible horrible people who have nothing to offer and are worthless! I hate this thought and theology! It makes me boiling mad and I just want to shake people and say wake up to more!! I have this picture in my mind (so bear with me as I try to draw it out for whoever is reading this), the picture is of a person who's dressed in filthy rags, bruised and broken and who is walking down the aisle at a church towards the alter. Standing at the alter is who we would presume is God standing there with a big stick and when we repent He's there to whack us up and down with that stick and so the person leaves still dirty and more broken and bruised then ever. This is how I think the church responds to those we deem as sinners (as if we're not in that category anymore or something stupid). They come covered in their sin and their horrible people for what they've done and all we do is guilt them into coming and then beat them again and again! How does this in anyway represent who God is and what He stands for?!?! So as I was going through my Beth Moore study of Esther today (which if you have not done you are totally missing out on because it's incredible!), I was hit with a quote from her that really helped say what I wanted to and expresses what I think has been lost. So from the pen of Beth, "Repentance is not your punishment. It's your glorious right of daughtership. Your invitation to RESTORATION."!!!!!!!! Hello!!! Are we listening to this?!?! Church Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. (eph 5:14) When we come and lay ourselves down at the feet of Jesus in repentance it's not out of punishment and we shouldn't come or make others come to feel that way! It's an invitation to restoration!! Now this is the imagery that I picture and that I wish the church represented!! This is the picture we should have; a person whose covered in dirty rags, bruised and broken walks down the aisle to the alter. At the alter stands Jesus and as this person comes with their head down in shame Jesus comes down and meets them. He takes them by the chin and lifts their face up and tells them that they are forgiven. They are not defined by their sin and that they are a new creature! As they leave and walk back down the aisle they are clothed in clean clothes, they are healed from the brokenness and the bruises are gone. They can walk with their heads held high because they are loved, despite it all, by THE GOD and they have something to offer and they have worth!!!! This is the picture the church should be showing!!! The repentance and coming into the relationship with the ALMIGHTY GOD is only the first step!! But we stop and leave it there as if we've done our job and saved we somehow saved them from the fires of hell and now to more onto the next sinner who needs saving. But where does this leave this new creature?! They were just given an newness and an invitation to a RELATIONSHIP and we leave them where? Being "saved" is only the very first step in an incredible journey and yet we act like it's the finish line. Why?! Why don't we SHOW people as well as tell them what comes next? Why don't we show them what it looks like to go on this journey and how to move past the first step? Is the only role of the church to "save" people? What happened to that little thing Jesus built his entire ministry on called DISCIPLESHIP?! I guess to have discipleship we'd have to see the "sinner" as really saved and to not make them continually feel "unsaved' or question if they really are. The church needs to realize that we all sin, yeah it's true and no I'm not minimizing the consequences of sin, but we are not defined by our past sins! We are made new and whole through Christ!! The old self is gone and when we still see people as their past we minimize the degrade the power of the cross. There's an incredible book by Mike Bickle called "The Pleasures of Loving God" and this book needs to be read by all churches. It tells us that we can stumble without falling and we are not hopeless hypocrites when we mess up. This is so contrary to what the church teaches too many times. We are not defined by our sin! We are still loved and saved even when we screw up! God knew what we'd do before He saved and yet He still saved us! If we maintain the theology that the "saved" don't mess up then who would ever qualify to the saved?! We miss the whole point! So if you've somehow managed to read all this and you don't think I'm nuts, well thank you. I've just had a fire lit under me and it's something I've wanted to shout from the roof tops to all those who have ever felt beaten down and worthless from church. So thanks for reading my ranting and I'm sure that there will be more to come.