House of God

44 “The tent of testimony was with our ancestors in the wilderness. Moses built it just as he had been instructed by the one who spoke to him and according to the pattern he had seen. 45 In time, when they had received the tent, our ancestors carried it with them when, under Joshua’s leadership, they took possession of the land from the nations whom God expelled. This tent remained in the land until the time of David. 46 God approved of David, who asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who actually built a house for God. 48 However, the Most High doesn’t live in houses built by human hands. As the prophet says, 49 Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. ‘What kind of house will you build for me,’ says the Lord,‘or where is my resting place? 50 Didn’t I make all these things with my own hand?’ 51 “You stubborn people! In your thoughts and hearing, you are like those who have had no part in God’s covenant! You continuously set yourself against the Holy Spirit, just like your ancestors did. 52 Was there a single prophet your ancestors didn’t harass? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the righteous one, and you’ve betrayed and murdered him! 53 You received the Law given by angels, but you haven’t kept it.” (Acts 7:44-53, CEB)

God first traveled with the Israelites and was in a cloud and a pillar of fire and there was a tent for the Ark. And when the Israelites under Joshua came into the land God had for them, the tent remained there until David asked to build a temple, but he didn’t get to, but Solomon completed the temple for God per the instructions. But God doesn’t dwell there.

God’s throne is in Heaven and God’s footstool is the earth.

God lives everywhere and is not contained by a building.

So be the temple of God you are in the world and share God’s love in everything you do.

Loving People. Loving God.

Are you…

16 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand so that those who enter can see the light. 17 Nothing is hidden that won’t be exposed. Nor is anything concealed that won’t be made known and brought to the light. 18 Therefore, listen carefully. Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they seem to have will be taken away from them.” 19 Jesus’ mother and brothers came to him but were unable to reach him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who listen to God’s word and do it.” (Luke 8:16-21, CEB)

Whoever listens to God’s word and does it, they are my mother and brother, father and sister.

Do you listen to God’s word? Not just the written word but the word of God spoken in and through your life every day. We need to listen to God and follow where God leads us. This is what being a child of God, someone named and claimed by God does. Not because of what they gain from it, but because they are already saved and moved because of that love to do good for others.

So are you a brother/sister/mother/father/sibling of Christ? Do you listen to God?

Go into the world loving as God loves you.

Loving People. Loving God.

dwelt

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 3 Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being 4 through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. 6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. 8 He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light. 9 The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world. 10 The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn’t recognize the light. 11 The light came to his own people, and his own people didn’t welcome him. 12 But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God’s children, 13 born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him, crying out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.’” 16 From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; 17 as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known. (John 1:1-18, CEB)

Verse 14 here says the Word became flesh and made his home among us. I remember this verse being The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. I thought that was from the NRSV, but it wasn’t. Dwelt is a fun word to say. The word in Greek means to come to dwell in a place defined psychologically or spiritually — ‘to take up residence, to come to reside, to come to dwell.’ Jesus set up a tent and lived where we were/are. Jesus left the kingdom and came to be where we are. Jesus took up residence where we live.

It means something when a person moves to be where you are. Usually, when we move to a place it is for work, or it could be because someone we love lives there. Jesus didn’t come for work. He came because he loves you and wants you to know that.

So go reminding people that they are loved by God and always remember you are too.

Loving People. Loving God.

considered

15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. 21 When eight days had passed, Jesus’ parents circumcised him and gave him the name Jesus. This was the name given to him by the angel before he was conceived. (Luke 2:15-21, CEB)

Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. When she heard the story of the shepherds she committed them to memory and thought about them carefully. She already heard the angel tell her the child she carried was of God, and now there is more to the story. Shepherds met by angels and told about Jesus.

Do we consider what God has shown us?

What has God revealed to you?

Know that God loves you and the world and wants us to all go and share the love we are daily given.

Loving People. Loving God.

Light

12 Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 13 Then the Pharisees said to him, “Because you are testifying about yourself, your testimony isn’t valid.” 14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, since I know where I came from and where I’m going. You don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You judge according to human standards, but I judge no one. 16 Even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I’m not alone. My judgments come from me and from the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the witness of two people is true. 18 I am one witness concerning myself, and the Father who sent me is the other.” 19 They asked him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You don’t know me and you don’t know my Father. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” (John 8:12-19, CEB)

When you have light the darkness backs away. A single candle will expel darkness.

The darkness can not stay in the light and when the light comes toward the darkness it is confused and fights to keep the light away.

Allow Jesus to shine in and through your life.

Loving People. Loving God.

Stay Alert

32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!” (Mark 13:32-37, CEB)

No one knows except the Father. Jesus doesn’t know when he is coming back.

We need to be aware and watching ready at a moment’s notice.

We do not know what will happen, all we need to be sure of is that God is always with us. So while it might seems fearful to not know, we can rest in the promise of God always being with us.

Loving People. Loving God.

God’s Temple

10 I laid a foundation like a wise master builder according to God’s grace that was given to me, but someone else is building on top of it. Each person needs to pay attention to the way they build on it. 11 No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 So, whether someone builds on top of the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or hay, 13 each one’s work will be clearly shown. The day will make it clear, because it will be revealed with fire—the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work survives, they’ll get a reward. 15 But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they’ll lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire. 16 Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, which is what you are. (1 Corinthians 3:10-17, CEB)

You are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit lives in you.

And not only you, but every other person you see.

So when you say that someone is not worthy of love because they are different from you in any way you are saying that God is not worthy of love. Because that person is the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives in them.

Who are you to say that the temple of God isn’t worthy of love?

We are laying upon the foundations that were done by Christ and everyone before us to show God’s love to the world.

Love everyone as God loves you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Holy innocence

13 When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.” 14 Joseph got up and, during the night, took the child and his mother to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod died. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I have called my son out of Egypt. 16 When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. 17 This fulfilled the word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet: 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much grieving. Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were no more. (Matthew 2:13-18, CEB)

Herod fooled by the visitors tried to eliminate Jesus by killing every male child that would fit into the age range of when the visitors came and asked for the king born in Bethlehem. Herod was so hung up on power he was willing to slaughter innocent children to make sure he stayed in power.

And we think about that and say how terrible when we really do the same thing. We do whatever we need to to keep the status quo. We will hold people down and not allow for rights to keep the way we have known life. We need to give up the power we think we have and fight for the innocent.

Unless we are actively working to change the status quo we are not upholding the down trodden.

Don’t be Herod. Live knowing that everything is in God’s hands.

Loving People. Loving God.

Follow me.

19 He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” 20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. This was the one who had leaned against Jesus at the meal and asked him, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw this disciple, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you? You must follow me.” 23 Therefore, the word spread among the brothers and sisters that this disciple wouldn’t die. However, Jesus didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies concerning these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. (John 21:19b-24, CEB)

What difference does it make what I do with other people? That has nothing to do with your faithfulness to me. You must follow me. The Greek word here clearly means to follow behind, not walk along side or anything else, you will see the back of my head.

And all of this comes after Jesus just asked Peter if Peter loved Jesus three times, for each time Peter betrayed him when Jesus was on trial.

We need to follow Jesus, and not worry about what others have from God. Because God is giving us what we need and others what they need and those will never be the same because we are all different people.

Loving People. Loving God.

after 3 days…

41 Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to their custom. 43 After the festival was over, they were returning home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t know it. 44 Supposing that he was among their band of travelers, they journeyed on for a full day while looking for him among their family and friends. 45 When they didn’t find Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and putting questions to them. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed by his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother said, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Listen! Your father and I have been worried. We’ve been looking for you!” 49 Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he said to them. 51 Jesus went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother cherished every word in her heart. 52 Jesus matured in wisdom and years, and in favor with God and with people. (Luke 2:41-52, CEB)

After three days…

Can you imagine missing a child for 3 days? I had a child run away and she was missing for about an hour, which felt like way more and I was about to lose my mind. When I saw her, I hugged her and told her I loved her.

I honestly didn’t know if I would ever see her again, and a part of me was actively dying. I wouldn’t know what to do I can not imagine the mental anguish Mary and Joseph were going through.

Three days…

Jesus spent three days in the tomb…

Jesus spent three days in the temple…

Where do we spend our time?

What are we focused on this Christmas season?

Are you focused on God and what God is leading you to do?

Loving People. Loving God.