Sunday September 16, 2018 | Shawna Boren
"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
In this second installment of our hospitality centered sermon series You Before Me, Shawna explores how welcoming the Other is not just a mindset, but also a condition of the heart. This continual welcoming and intentional making space for the Other in our lives can only happen when we have a surrendered heart that has first made space for God to dwell in us.
We know we are called to love and make space for others. We are to declare that all are welcome. But Kingdom hospitality isn’t merely a mind set to be welcoming, but also a condition of a surrendered heart. When we build up walls and isolate ourselves from others we tend to fear them. We fear what we don’t know. We are called to replace fear of the other with love of the other.
The gospel is hope for all and a welcome message for all to enter. Jesus gave himself with this in mind, and God invites us in on that same process – a dancing or mutually indwelling with the triune God (Perichoresis). We are to be living tabernacles, much like the idea in the Old Testament, but in human form, where the Holy Spirit dwells and works on us and in us to create a heart of Kingdom hospitality.
God does not force himself upon us, but rather acts toward us first and then waits for our response. We are to be hosts that welcome God in. We are to offer our body as a living sacrifice and allow the Spirit to renew our mind from the inside out (Rom 12:1-2). If there are things in our life that are filling up space that God would desire to dwell, then we need to take action to clear those things out and make space. He doesn’t just want us to experience him on weekend services, but rather as continual experience of his loving presence. This is how we become transformed.
Much like Brother Lawrence modeled, we don’t have to hold a position of high power in order be in the presence of God and carry that presence to others. The life of unbroken fellowship is open to all, but it’s not automatic. It takes genuine intentional reminders and discipline. This is the wonderful, mindful, transformative life Jesus is inviting us to live.