I so looked forward to a bonfire last night with some of my neighbors (and you know how blessed it is to have great neighbors) and I did enjoy myself so very much. It was outdoors, half the folks vaccinated at least partially and yes so convenient to be close to home that when I crashed tired at 10pm from a whole day of rigorous gardening, I was home in just a 3 minute walk, LOL… nice…

Interesting chatter and characters, me included. So, what’s the best part of hanging out with my neighbors? Just being able to BE MYSELF and for them to be themselves. If there’s anything in life we should be, it should start with BEING OURSELVES… 

I thought about this as a common theme to another day in the past, with the knowledge and closeness of Jesus to the people whom He encountered.  He was just able to be Himself with His disciples and His foes. (Really though, I know Jesus could never have been anyone than Himself)… Other people were surprised that He hung out with people not tops on their lists of companions, but Jesus always knew the people needed Him, saying ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ Mark 2:5

I have to wonder, am I one of the people whom Jesus would have hung out with too? Well, He has been, He still is. He’s been with each of us from well before we were born. We are His crew. No, I’m not going to answer any question of being good or bad, but say that He wants to hangout with EACH of us (and He does). And the best thing is that when Jesus hangs out, He can JUST BE HIMSELF, because HE IS HIMSELF.  It’s not just us who hangout with friends to be ourselves, the very nature of Jesus wasn’t to attend a place under any false pretenses or airs, Jesus just REALLY wanted and wants to be Himself. His ultimate hangout finished the plan. Now we can eternally hangout with the Father. 

Who is Jesus? A teacher, a leader, a friend, a spiritual friend. Jesus just wants to come to your gathering and Be Himself, to show love, give mercy, explain Our Father, be taken seriously, and be Graceful. To be honest, in truth, Jesus cannot be anything BUT Himself. He can not be dark or hidden, cannot lie or mislead, and can not fail to be God’s Mercy. 

Jesus could make brutally honest observations about each of us. He could probably stop a party in it’s tracks, but instead blesses it with His appearance and with His Blessings. (Of course this means that we have to invite Him in!)

Can we be ourselves at a friend’s house?

Can we be ourselves at home?

Can we be as Jesus would have us? Real? Can we be real? Especially to Him?

Jesus is the best REAL there is.

Let’s BE REAL with Him because He is real with us.

And let us let Him into our hearts. 

The Doctor is within. 

Amen 

—

Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

—

Luke 10:5-11, 16, 38-42

Jesus said to His disciples:

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

…

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

…

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”