Next Door Savior
Matthew 1 is the genealogy of Christ. Real light reading, NOT, but it is there. We are have families for better for worse. What Jesus wants you to know. He has been there. One of my all time favorite books by Max Lucado is called, "Next Door Savior". Max Lucado writes, "Most families keep their family secrets a secret. Included in chapter 1 of Matthew are the bad apples of Jesus' family.
A couple of years ago we were privileged to take a trip to Israel. For Ann and I it was a trip of a lifetime. I was asked by the leader if I would serve communion near the Garden Tomb. There were 43 pilgrims in the group. They came from FL, OH, IL, NJ, CO, AR, GA and CA. But where we were from didn't tell the whole story of how they got there. We had 3 ladies from South Africa whose histories spoke of of Apartheid and becoming Christians by the Grace of God. So the question of the day, the same question that I asked before giving Communion to new friends. "What did it take for you to be here, in this place? Give yourself a moment of silent reflection as to the important events in your life, the important people, things that allowed you to arrive here. As Jesus says, "I've been there. As Max Lucado says, "We all are apart of the tilted Halo Family". In Matthew 9 Matthew was complaining to Jesus that he was going to have to give up all his friends. Some of them were very questionable. Jesus’ response was, “Matthew, Matthew
I am not here to quarantine you. Following me doesn’t mean forgetting your friends, just the opposite. I want to meet them”. Matthew’s response was, “But Jesus, these guys. . .half of them are on parole. Josh hasn’t worn socks since his Bar Mitzvah. Sinners and saints in the same room.
Another question of the day is, which side of Matthew’s table do you sit on? Discipleship is sometimes defined as being normal. It is anything but normal. Be a disciple of Christ today, doing something simple for someone else today can make all the difference in the world. God Loves You.
A couple of years ago we were privileged to take a trip to Israel. For Ann and I it was a trip of a lifetime. I was asked by the leader if I would serve communion near the Garden Tomb. There were 43 pilgrims in the group. They came from FL, OH, IL, NJ, CO, AR, GA and CA. But where we were from didn't tell the whole story of how they got there. We had 3 ladies from South Africa whose histories spoke of of Apartheid and becoming Christians by the Grace of God. So the question of the day, the same question that I asked before giving Communion to new friends. "What did it take for you to be here, in this place? Give yourself a moment of silent reflection as to the important events in your life, the important people, things that allowed you to arrive here. As Jesus says, "I've been there. As Max Lucado says, "We all are apart of the tilted Halo Family". In Matthew 9 Matthew was complaining to Jesus that he was going to have to give up all his friends. Some of them were very questionable. Jesus’ response was, “Matthew, Matthew
I am not here to quarantine you. Following me doesn’t mean forgetting your friends, just the opposite. I want to meet them”. Matthew’s response was, “But Jesus, these guys. . .half of them are on parole. Josh hasn’t worn socks since his Bar Mitzvah. Sinners and saints in the same room.
Another question of the day is, which side of Matthew’s table do you sit on? Discipleship is sometimes defined as being normal. It is anything but normal. Be a disciple of Christ today, doing something simple for someone else today can make all the difference in the world. God Loves You.
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