Good day dear friends.
This coming Sunday is Mother's Day here in the USA. Please don't forget and hubbies, NEVER, I repeat NEVER use the excuse to your wife, "You're not my mother!" WRONG! That's all I'm going to say about that!
Our text for this coming Sunday from the Gospels is from John 15: 9 "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done - kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. 11 "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. 12 This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. 13 This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. 14 You are my friends when you do the things I command you. 15 I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father. 16 "You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.17 "But remember the root command: Love one another. (The Message)
Nellie and I have been away from home for almost half a month. Home is a special word and an even more special place. By the way, Sunday is also Festival of the Christian Home. And the version of the recommended Lectionary text makes it easy to preach or hear a sermon on home. When I was not married, my home was with my Mom and Dad. I could truly be myself there and I felt welcome and loved whenever I was there. When I went away to college I longed for home and during the first two years of college went home almost every other week. There were so many from Houston at my school that getting a ride was no problem. There was one friend whose girlfriend was in Houston and so he went home every weekend. He didn't provide a helmet to ride in his car with him and at times it seems like it was truly needed! Now that Nellie and I have made a home, it's still the place to be. It's a refuge from the world and a place to truly be ourselves and to enjoy each other's company and to be blessed by the love we have for each other, and that's what Jesus was saying about making ourselves "at home" in God's love. Be yourself, find refuge from the world, enjoy God's company, and be blessed by the awesomeness of God's love.
Being at home in God's love means that we have to take that love wherever we go. We have to love others. That means everyone. No distinctions, no judgments about whom you can or cannot love; God meant everybody. And God meant that for the basic interactions that should be occurring with basic human presence. Civility, kindness, courtesy, caring for one another. And I think this is where we fail sometimes as individuals or as a Church. We put more importance on our needs than those of others and we close the doors of our homes to other people. Three weeks ago I was the Emcee at a special Wesley Community Center banquet where awards were given to the person(s) who exhibited Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. I was asked to say a word about what each meant. I asked the question of those in the audience of who was young enough to remember sitting on their front porch and having interaction with their neighbors? Most of my age and above did. I then asked, but who was the person who invented the deck? What drove us from the front porch to the privacy and security of our decks? The deck is usually situated between a privacy fence big enough to hide what we are doing from our next door neighbors. You will rarely see a new home built with a porch. I also believe that when we could afford air conditioning that further drove us away from interaction with others.
Whom will you invite to the "front porch" of your life? Will all be welcome? Will you share God's love so that others may be at home with God?
PRAYER: Loving God, we fear our neighbors and that is why we live now in homes securely locked and without front porches. We have decks for those rare times we want to be outside. And we enjoy the comfort of air conditioning. Sadly, Lord, You know that is how we also live our lives, insulated from others and not wanting interaction with others. May You forgive us for that and move us towards being neighbors that love everyone. We cannot do it without Your love and strength; bless us with those; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
