“They need the Lord in their house.”
It was a powerful statement, said so matter-of-factly, but with such obvious certainty.
We were having breakfast together, Libby, me and this couple whom we had known for over twenty-five years. They were telling us about a recent visit to their oldest son’s home, about the marriage that was in trouble, the kids who were growing up without the right discipline and love. Naturally, it was upsetting to them. They wished that they could do something.
They knew that Jesus could, if their son and daughter-in-law would let him.
The statement struck me because I suddenly remembered when I had first met this couple. Their marriage was in trouble. The husband was going through a major career transition that highlighted their harmful patterns of communication and conflict resolution. The wife had begun to attend our church, but the husband was not at all interested. Religion was for weak people. But, to shut her up, he had agreed to an appointment with me.
He had no idea how much he needed the Lord in his life, in his house.
And, these many years later, I marveled at who he had become. His patience, wisdom, and confidence in Christ were evidence of the changes that Christ began in his life when he had dropped his p ride long enough to turn towards Christ.
This Sunday, at the Gathering Church, we will look at a summary of Jesus ministry in Mark 3:7-21. In spite of his attempts to withdraw he was so surrounded by crowds that he couldn’t escape (contraction and explosion – see yesterday).
As we watch Jesus change lives, we want to move beyond being spectators. This Sunday, we want to become participants. If Jesus could change anything in your life, what would it be? If you knew that he was just right there, turning in your direction, what might he do?
It makes Sunday morning a little bit different when one imagines that Jesus might be there. The thing Is, when we gather he is there.