Where Is Jesus In Your Home?
Good Morning Friends,
The chances are high that Jesus was not born on Christmas Day. The Roman pagans use to have a big celebration on December 25th to celebrate the return of the days becoming longer after the start of winter. They worshipped the Sun and now the Sun was gaining the upper hand over the darkness. It was a time of joy. However, on this very date in May more than 2000 years ago it is likely that Mary was pregnant and visiting her cousin Elizabeth. And this time sets the stage for the incarnation of God into human history. Zechariah extended Jewish hospitality hosting Mary for three months perhaps not even realizing that what was essentially the Arc of the Covenant was in his home in the reality of Mary with child.
I do not know how much you like house guests for extended stays, but the real question is more about attitude and the joy in having them than in the inconvenience and expense. Where Is Jesus In Your Home?
Scripture: Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it
Zephaniah 3:14-18a (NRSV)
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
1 Peter 4:9 (NRSV)
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Romans 12:9-16 (NRSV)
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Luke 1:39-56 (NRSV)
Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:9-16 (NRSV)
Message: God loved us enough to send Jesus Christ into the world to let us know what Joy is. Although it took centuries for it to happen, God waited until the time was right, and God took on flesh to intersect the life of a poor young girl by the name of Mary. An angel had come to Mary to let her know that she had been chosen to give birth to a child who would become the savior of the world. The child would be the Son of God who would take away the sins of the world. This was the child of promise. This was the child of pain. This would be the child of joy. In today’s passage from Luke, Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She is tired, confused, and worn out. Nobody has believed that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Her marriage to her fiancé Joseph now has a dark cloud over it. Her relationship with her family is rocky. Interestingly, Elizabeth has had a miracle of her own, in that she is an elderly woman who has gotten pregnant for the first time in her life. In this passage, Mary has made the journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also expecting a very special baby, who will be born and become John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at her cousin’s house and speaks to Elizabeth, the baby, John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy. Notice that we can sense the presence of God even before we are born. A child in the womb has a connection to God’s plans and purposes just as we do. That’s why it is so important for us to recognize and admit, that all lives matter even those in the womb. Elizabeth responds by telling Mary that she is blessed because she has believed the Lord, and that God will do all that He has said He will do to and through her life. These are probably the first few words of affirmation that Mary has heard. This child is now becoming a child of joy for her. This is true hospitality we are to apply to our lives. When Jesus sends out workers in Matthew 10:9-16, they are to rely on this kind of joyous Christian hospitality to accomplish their mission. We see this played out in the mission experience of Paul. Lydia offered Paul her home after her conversion. The Philippian jailer fed them. Paul stayed with Aquila in Corinth. Paul stayed at the home of Philip in Caesarea. Paul stayed with Mnason, from Cyprus on his travels. Paul stayed with Publius on the island of Malta. When they enter a town, they are to search for some worthy person and stay there. It seems only right that Jesus would make a place for us as well. Today, He wants to become our houseguest, to have a meal with us, to have fellowship with us and to show us how much He loves us by transforming our home into a place of hospitality.
Pray the fruit of Mary’s womb prompt us to show hospitality to others. Pray we let the Holy Spirit produce fruit in us so that we too might know the joy of God. Pray our lives and homes produce the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Pray we realize that this fruit is the fruit of Christ’s own character within us. Pray we realize that Jesus wants to become a guest in our homes and heart to transform us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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