| PENTECOST III June 9, 2024 “God’s House . . . Our Home” Most of us have our little routines, such as the routes we take going to work, school, church (of course!) or other errands. These areas become so familiar to us that if something changes, we take notice. Following the 2020 derecho, a street I’d driven on many times looked drastically different, with the many large, old maple trees no longer standing. It was so disorienting, I felt as though I was on the wrong street. To add to the loss, only a few weeks later, a nice, two-story house on the same street burned down, totally destroyed. Fortunately, no one was home at the time, but it had been occupied by a family with several children, and I could only imagine how upsetting it was for the youngsters. The corner was cleaned up, and sat vacant for a couple of years, and then, one day I drove by and saw foundations for two houses being poured. An open lot next door was also being built, and then I saw a Habitat for Humanity sign. How wonderful to know that two families had an opportunity to work on new houses, partially earning them through “sweat equity,” and then qualifying for mortgages to pay for their very own homes! It certainly raises the spirits to see two fresh, new houses in a location where there had been emptiness and loss. Families are putting down roots, houses are now becoming homes, and the neighborhood looks complete. To go from hoping for a reasonably livable place to rent to opening the front door to your own home is beyond a dream come true. References to both houses and homes can be found throughout the Bible, and I was curious to see if there were differences in how the two words were used. One thing I did notice was that there were numerous references to “the house of the Lord” or “God’s house” or “my Father’s house.” The building is dedicated to gathering for worship, prayer, and finding ways to serve one another and those around us. Our homes are where we have a sense of safety and security, where we can be our unique, genuine selves. Singles, couples, multi-generational groups, clusters of unrelated friends — all find creative ways to make the place in which they live a home. To have a place where you can bring your sorrows and disappointments, and where you can rejoice and share happiness, isn’t about the building, it’s about the people who are there for you. As we gather in God’s house and are welcomed into a church family, it becomes our home. We come together in this place because here, in relationship with one another, we become members of God’s household. How blessed we are to be called to welcome all people to God’s house, which is a home for each and every one. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1) Grateful to be “at home,” Your friend in Christ, Mary Rogers God is Here https://youtu.be/8t8y02Vj1Eo?si=BLBl-zgrNIYv4N_G Gather Us In https://youtu.be/iMmQyc5fFcs?si=Bng_Z7tpiHNMrYQe |
Weekly Devotion – June 9, 2024
2024-06-10