If you make my word your home, you will indeed be my disciples, and
you will learn the truth, and the truth will make you free.
John 8:31-32
John starts his gospel with these words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He goes on later in the chapter to say "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we say His glory, full of grace and truth." Clearly, John is trying to communicate the importance of the life of Jesus told through story to those of us who were not present when Jesus walked this earth. The Word is the gift that continues to guide us, teach us, and inspire us to live as Jesus lived.
Jesus takes our use of the Word one step farther. He asks us to make it our home. It's not something we're just supposed to glance at once in a while, or listen to on Sundays, but rather we are being called to make it our permanent dwelling. We are to make it the place where we rest, the place where we are accepted as we are, the place where we welcome the stranger. Our home isn't necessarily the four walls in which we live, it is the place where love abides, hope remains, and where all are treated as children of God - with compassion, honesty, and respect.
Remember the saying "Home is where the heart is"? This is what Jesus means. If we allow the Word to abide in our hearts, we will be disciples of Christ. With the Word implanted in our body, mind, and souls, we will fully experience the truth of God's unending love for us, God's forgiveness and acceptance of us exactly as we are at this moment, and God's abounding grace. We will experience true freedom and we will be empowered to share it with the world.
Prayer: Gracious God, you continually welcome us home when we try to do this life on our own. Help us this day to make our hearts home for you and your word, so that we may experience the freedom your truth offers. And, God, let us become willing to share this truth, our home, with our communities and our world.
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