“Cleaning House”

 
 
          Pastor Kurt started us off this week with an understanding of the “Ha Makom” which is translated The Place. This is an old name for God that speaks volumes as we look not only at the places that God met his people, but also where he continues to meet them through Jesus Christ. As I thought about this, I wanted to share a little bit about where I was at and some things that I have been thinking of pertaining the place that I am at.
 
          During this time of being at home more than ever, Brooke and I have had plenty of time to make lists of what needs to be done around the house. The first on that list was to mow the back yard. The day before I want out to mow it, I was playing fetch with my dog Ginger. She is a red healer mix that lives to play fetch. She is incredible at it. However, the ball took a bounce and went into some of the admittedly tall grass where she was unable to find it. Before I mowed, I tried to rake it out and still wasn’t able to find the ball. Luckily, the lawnmower tire hit it and I was able to set it aside instead of hitting it with the blade. Mowing the grass was necessary before we would be able to play fetch again.
 
          I wanted to share this story because this was the place where God met me with this idea of cleaning house. I want to look at a few scriptures that show us what this looked like spiritually.

          Jesus enters the city for the “Triumphal Entry” that we have all heard about a thousand times. He then goes to the temple and “Cleanses” it. This is often a passage where we talk about Jesus being angry or maybe more violent than we think him to be, but the reality is that Jesus was cleaning house. He was getting everything that was distracting and preventing the people of God out of the way. This was necessary for the people of God to worship the way that they were called to.
 
          Titus – The whole book.
The book of Titus comes to my mind because in many ways I resonate with him. Titus was young and not the “normal” religious authority. However, Jesus, through Paul, sends Titus to go to Crete and clean house. There are plenty of churches there, but they are all over the board on what they believe and how they live. Titus steps in and “cleans house” through creating accountability structures and rhythms for people to live into so that they may live a life that is “Ready for every good work” as chapter 3 has commanded.
 
             In such a time as this, when everything feels different and out of the ordinary, God is still desiring to meet with his people and to Transform them into who they are called to be. The church is not just a building, but it is most importantly a people. I encourage you to take this time of newness and change and evaluate these two questions.

Questions:

1. What may be preventing you or distracting you from living the life that you are called to live, or worshiping God who is worth it?
2. What accountability structures and rhythms can you build into your life during this time, and how can you sustain them into whatever the next season looks like?

 
          To finish up, once the yard was mowed and the grass was cut down short, I was able to pick up the ball and begin to play fetch again with Ginger. Getting rid of the distractions and what was hindering her made her faster and even more able to do the things that she was created for. I hope that we will take the chance to do the same.
 
 
Thanks for reading and have a great day,
 
Ty Lust
Youth Ministry Director
First United Methodist Church Midland