BibleScribbler

Coffee, a Bible, and a Napkin to Scribble On

Extra Presence for Christmas

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This week we have been doing one of the things that our Christian community, The People of Praise, does regularly all over the United States: we’ve been a ‘household.’ We aren’t the only ones doing this, from the looks of Instagram, but everyone else calls it ‘having house guests.’

Having someone stay at your house is inconvenient. You have to be sensitive to more people’s bed times, you have to wait an extra rotation on the bathroom (we only have one!), you have to NOT walk around the house in your boxers but actually take a minute to put on your pajamas and DEFINITELY close the door when you use the bathroom (we only have one!)

At the same time, there really is something holy about the whole ordeal. Keith Hueftle has a whole book on the grace-lovingkindness-hesed of God  shown in the Bible through hospitality. As we are continually considering others better than ourselves with our houseguest, we are given a chance to fulfill what Jesus said-

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. – John 13:34

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:36-40

Of all of the various spiritual exercises we do, don’t they all turn us from convenience and comfort towards fulfilling something that the Lord wants to do, as a practical activity (give somebody a place to stay) and as a spiritual one (help work out areas that I’m selfish) all at the same time? What is even better is that it is over Christmas, so all of our family gatherings, driving around town, and hustle and bustle (a phrase we only use during Christmas?!) have an extra player in the game. (Literally, we have an almost perpetual board game going on through December and she is always able and willing to join in and play.)

Joseph and Mary were house guests, since they had to leave their normal home and go back to Joseph’s family’s house to be counted in a census. All of the reality of travel and couch-surfing is often lost when we see the abandoned cottage with a few animals in it around Christmas.

It was crowded, they were away from home, a baby was being born, and stranger shepherds were showing up out of nowhere to give them compliments and be amazed.

Praise God for the greater reality He shows us every day about the real life of His Son and the Nativity on Earth.

Merry Christmas, dear reader. Now I have to go hit the shower before everyone wakes up. (We only have one bathroom!)

My Christmas Sermon (written)

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I was able to preach this past weekend at Westminster thanks to an awful bug that Dave caught. This is the closest I’ve ever come to a Christmas message, but it’s full of stuff that I’ve been thinking about for years. Hopefully in a few days I’ll post the audio, but don’t wait! Read on!

Christmas is this week: I always love to really think deep about the events, because the events of my life have lots of detail, lots of significant moments and turning points. It’s too easy to read the first parts of Matthew and Luke and not think about the reality of the events. [Read more…]

God's Eager Hospitality

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I’ve been reading “The Trouble With Grace” by O. Keith Hueftle and it is really really good. Keith shows a real depth for God’s hospitality as it shows His character. It’s not just a hospitality of “if you come, I’ll take care of you” but a pursuing, hungry hospitality that tracks you down and then cares for you where you are.

It really is the parable of the Good Samaritan blown into global proportions.

The other aspect of God’s grace shown by hospitality is the continuing sacrifices that a host makes for their guest throughout the Bible. Abram kills some of his flock and prepares the best wheat for dinner in Genesis 18 http://bible.us/Gen18.1.NET for the 3 guests that visit him on their way to Sodom.

Lot protects the guests from the townspeople even to the level of offering his own daughters to them when they want the guests thrown out his front door. http://bible.us/Gen19.8.NET

All of this (and there are many more events like this in the life of Elijah, David, etc.) points to God sending His son to pursue us, and then protecting us from the evil one by a great sacrifice on our behalf.

Hospitality to His Rejectors

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(if this is a little scattered, I was retrieving Levi a couple times during this writing)

There has to be something up with John 6.4

There are a lot of similarities between Jesus feeding the 5000 and the “Last Supper.”

Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks and passed it out to people that would thank him for it and then turn on him. The disciples passed it out as he gave thanks, and then, maybe for the first time, compared himself to that bread. He was the bread that came out of nowhere, and the bread that was in such abundance that there were always leftovers.

Bread is serious business all over the middle eastern world. Bread/ with salt/ is a symbol of hospitality. Jesus could have fed them many things, but bread says, “you are welcome here with me.” When Melchizadec showed up in Abraham’s life, it was bread and wine. When the Passover was celebrated, the meal hinged on specialized bread.

Jesus welcomes us into his presence, and provides for our needs, knowing full well that we are fickle, moody sheep. He is not a fiery fearful terror that causes the people to beg for a moderator. The 5000 people were there because they had seen Him heal the sick. I can just see that many of them may have been the ones healed, and weren’t sure what to do now that they were well except follow Jesus (ie. The Pool Guy and others…)