Being at home

Matthew 7: 24 ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.’

Home has been a word that has been floating around my consciousness lately. One month in to my appointment at IUMC, I’ve been so grateful for the ways in which everyone in the congregation has tried to make me feel at home. I’ve been received with kindness and have been continually encouraged by the excitement in the congregation for continuing to build and expand on our ministries.

Furthermore, I’m looking forward to experiencing my first Independence Home Days. As I understand it, the Home Days are a time in which the community can come together in fellowship to celebrate our heritage. We do so in part by honoring those who laid the foundation upon which this community currently stands.

We in the church operate in a similar way. We build upon the work of our forbearers to continue the living ministry of Jesus Christ. We remember John Wollpert who was appointed by the German Evangelical Association, a predesessor to the United Methodist Church, to this region in 1854 and held the first worship services in German. We remember John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, for seeing that the church had lost touch and going out into the streets to preach and act upon the good news proclaimed in Christianity. And, of course, all that we do is modeled after the saving work of Jesus Christ, who came to this Earth 2,000 years ago to preach about the coming and present Kingdom of God in which all people would be made whole (the literal translation of salvation) and healing would reign throughout all of creation.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells a story of two people who build houses. One builds the foundation upon the sand while the other builds on a rock. When the rain and floods come, the house on the rock stands strong while the other is washed away. Many of us know this story well enough to know that Jesus is the rock upon which the wise person builds a foundation. However, its often overlooked that Jesus was calling specifically for those who “hear these words of mind and act.” It’s not enough to know what Jesus says, we must with all of our being try to live out the life that Jesus proclaimed.

So, as these home days approach, I ask you to consider the ways in which this congregation can bring healing to this community? How might we bring the peace of Christ to every person regardless of where they stand or what they believe? How might we show those who are discouraged that there is a God who loves them and a people who are willing to live out that love? May we find a way to make all people feel that when they enter into the doors of this church, they will truly be coming home.