Sup part 5
Jesus stands at the door and knocks. The door of our hearts. Which, when you consider that He already lives in our hearts, seems like a very gentlemanly thing to do. Its His house. He built it. WE are the house that the carpenter Jesus built. (And yes, I realize carpenters traditionally build things like furniture and not necessarily houses, but just go down the road with me.) So for Him to be the builder of the house, and to still refuse to claim any rights--because He gave what He built to us, as a gift... because, again, we ARE what He built--to prepare a meal for us and then to stand at the door and knock, waiting for us to invite Him in to share the meal that He prepared... the meal that He IS... that's a special kind of love. A sacrificial kind of love. Giving everything you have and everything you are, and not even worrying about what comes next. Not giving in order to get something, but giving because you have something worth sharing. Giving because you want the person you're giving it to to have it. No ulterior motive. Becuase love IS the motive. It blows me away that when we were yet sinners, when we had absolutely nothing to offer God, He gave us everything. He literally gave His life for us, and He gave His life TO us. So that we could have it. So that we could experience Jesus' abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. So that we could know God as Father, and know ourselves as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And that Father/Son relationship comes from eating that love feast of bread and wine, Lamb and living water. It comes from understanding that we are the branches on the Tree of Life. We bear the fruit of the Spirit (which is love), and we partake of that fruit. Its so important to understand what it means to sup with Jesus. Because you are what you eat. If you chow down on what the world has to offer, you'll end up believing any number of things. First and foremost that you're not good enough. That's what the world has to offer. And, kind of unfortunately, that's what the church world has to offer. This hamster wheel of man-centered, performance-based religion. "You're not good enough. But if you do this, this, and this..." You reach for the carrot, but the stick keeps moving. There's always one thing you lack, in that sort of situation. And while you're trying to grab that carrot, there's an entire six-course meal (The Six Steps to the Throne... Jesus being Crucified, Dying, being Buried, being Quickened, Raised, and Seated) that has been prepared for you in the presence of your enemies. An entire love feast. And all you have to is open the door. Open your heart. Sit down at the family table. Take your place at the right hand of the Father. Know that you can eat your fill, and have plenty left over to share. Know that if Daddy has a spot, you have a spot. Know that "what's mine is yours," from God's point of view. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. He gave us everything He has and everything He is. Set the table for us and made it available. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I know you're hungry. Sit down and eat!