Make Yourself at Home

"I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love." (John 15:9)

A couple of Sundays ago we celebrated Mothering Sunday...we spent some time reflecting on a verse in John 15. This is the chapter where Jesus uses the picture of a vine and braches to describe the relationship between Jesus and his followers...a picture of connectedness...of intimacy...of dependency...of life.

Two of the most common translations of the bible have Jesus telling / inviting his followers to "Remain in me" or "abide in me". But the Message paraphrase of the bible has the phrase, "Make yourself at home in my love".

And it's this phrase I want to encourage you to spend a bit of time relfecting on now. What does it mean to "make yourself at home" somewhere? What does that look like? What does that entail? As I was reflecting, I was coming up with things like: putting down roots, settling, establishing, permanence, security, intimacy, belonging etc. And when you apply these sort of descriptions to understanding what Jesus is getting at, it kind of blows your mind away.

For a lot of people knowing Jesus is about rules and regulations. But here, according to Jesus himself, knowing him is about a relationship...and not just any relationship, but one of intimacy and connectedness...of permanence. His words are an invitation to come and find a perfect home in his love. 

Why not allow the truth of these words to soak over you. And if you're tired, rootless, searching for a home, then hear Jesus' invitation to make your home in his love.