Come In

I'm thinking a lot about hospitality and what it means to be a welcoming person. Not just shaking hands and smiling but actually welcoming them into my apartment, my life, my space, etc. I haven't fully developed this idea yet but when looking at Jesus I see a lot of guidance for being a person/community of hospitality. So I shared a bit of this in my tag-team sermon last week with Paul.

Here it is in written form so just imagine me saying these words. Or better yet imagine James Earl Jones saying it because his voice is a whole lot more commanding than mine!

Jesus was in one sense homeless, an erratic traveler, a nomad. But he also drew people in wherever he went. He called his body a place of dwelling, a temple.

He said "come to me all who are weary and burden and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:28).

When you come to rest you are fed, "this is my body broken for you." (Matt 26:26, 1 Cor 11:24)

When you come to rest you are no longer thirsty, "this is my blood spilled for you." (Matt 26:27, 11 Cor 11:25).

Wherever he went he was a presence of hospitality that invited people into the family of fellowship with the Father, Holy Spirit, and fellow believers.