Ben Moments Continue...God at Home in Us
Companions in Contemplation, Ben Campbell Johnson, 2009
“We will come into her (him) and make our home in her (him).”
John 4:17
How utterly amazing that God in Christ, like a robin nesting in a tree, would be pleased to make a home in me. The Advent hymn proclaims this truth – “Pleased as man with men to dwell, O come, O come Emmanuel.” God builds and furnishes a home in humans much like the bird builds a nest -- one stick at a time, one twig at a time, one feather at a time.
God’s persistent coming into us extends beyond a casual visit. The dwelling place of God must be more than a beach house visited occasionally to escape the summer heat. To house God in us not only means that God is intentional and regular, but diligent, and unrelenting too. No longer a guest, God in Christ becomes a permanent resident. Even before God takes up full-time residence in us, God dwells within us while the nesting place is being constructed.
Sometimes, in sacred moments I get fleeting glimpses of the effect of the Presence within – like a sudden realization that all the people on the escalator and I are of the same family; like I am part of the rays of the sun and the growth of the tree; or the perception of an invisible hand reaching out in the silence and drawing me into a new level of union with my permanent Guest!
Can I learn to be at home in God as God is at home in me?
Never become weary welcoming your guest.
“We will come into her (him) and make our home in her (him).”
John 4:17
How utterly amazing that God in Christ, like a robin nesting in a tree, would be pleased to make a home in me. The Advent hymn proclaims this truth – “Pleased as man with men to dwell, O come, O come Emmanuel.” God builds and furnishes a home in humans much like the bird builds a nest -- one stick at a time, one twig at a time, one feather at a time.
God’s persistent coming into us extends beyond a casual visit. The dwelling place of God must be more than a beach house visited occasionally to escape the summer heat. To house God in us not only means that God is intentional and regular, but diligent, and unrelenting too. No longer a guest, God in Christ becomes a permanent resident. Even before God takes up full-time residence in us, God dwells within us while the nesting place is being constructed.
Sometimes, in sacred moments I get fleeting glimpses of the effect of the Presence within – like a sudden realization that all the people on the escalator and I are of the same family; like I am part of the rays of the sun and the growth of the tree; or the perception of an invisible hand reaching out in the silence and drawing me into a new level of union with my permanent Guest!
Can I learn to be at home in God as God is at home in me?
Never become weary welcoming your guest.