Heart and Home Ready
“Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” Mark 14:14-15 (NIV)
I enjoy having house guests! The conversation, laughs, shared memories, and late night snacks are all great. Getting ready for them to come is a bit of a challenge because I want things to be just right. No cobwebs, dust, clean floors and plenty of food in the frig and freezer. Emily Ryan (Mornings with Jesus) reminds us we should always be prepared for guests—especially Jesus.
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Preparations have begun to host my family for Easter this year, and it’s an all-hands-on-deck endeavor. Everyone has a job to do—cleaning, mowing, shopping, cooking—but it will take still take several days to make our home ready for guests. As we scurry about, I think about the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples. The Bible says the group met in an unnamed man’s upper guest room that was furnished and ready for them. No last-minute scrambling necessary.
I can’t help but notice how that Passover meal in Jerusalem stands in stark contrast to Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. In each case, Jesus needed available space. In Bethlehem, He needed a place to have His first meal. In Jerusalem, He needed a place to have His last meal. One moment shows Jesus being turned away because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). The other shows a man laying out the welcome mat and inviting Jesus into his home.
I want my home—and my heart—to be ready for Jesus, just as the upper room in Jerusalem was. As I work to prepare my home for guests, I also work to prepare my heart for Jesus—so no last-minute scrambling is necessary for either.
Loving Lord, thank You for being a guest in our home and heart. Help us to be prepared and ready for You at any time. AMEN