January 26, 2022
What makes a house a home? That’s a question I’ve been pondering recently. I’ve lived in lots of different houses. By my recollection, I’ve lived in eight and soon to be nine houses when we finalize our Carrollton house in February. That’s a lot of houses, but not all of them have been homes. I can think back specifically to the fraternity house where I lived in my senior year at Furman University. I don’t know if it was the general level sanitation at the house (some might say the lack thereof) or the constant parade of people who came but never treated it with great care. It just never felt like home! I was relieved when it was time to move out.
Now that I am older (and I hope wiser), I believe I can better define what makes a house a home. It’s love. I would argue that you could live in a first rate house with all the modern day amenities, but without love it’ll never be a home. Sure, you can sleep and eat there, but there will never be an emotional bond between you and the people who share that space with you that gives you the hope and encouragement a home truly provides. On the other hand, you could live in the most modest of homes like those that I’ve been invited to various times during my time as a missionary and pastor. It might have a tin roof and a dirt floor, but with love, it is a place of joy and renewal. The people who live there take great pride and welcome others to come and share in the beauty of community. It is a home.
How do people see our church? Do they see it as a house or a home? The main focus of my sermon on Sunday will be how we as a church family can position ourselves so that our church is in fact a home to all. Yes, the answer is love, but since love is a verb we need to explore specific action steps to take so that First Baptist Church Carrollton looks, feels, is home for all. Given that this is such a huge piece of our new beginning, I want you to do several things in preparation for worship on Sunday.
- Continue to read your Bible 15 minutes a day and plan to attend Sunday school (you didn’t think I would forget, did you?)!
- Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 as a part of daily quiet time. Consider its implications. This will be our main scripture verse.
- Read this list of ministries that currently have needs at First Baptist Church Carrollton. Ask yourself, “Wouldn’t these things as described make our church a home for all?” I’ll be speaking more about them on Sunday with hope and expectation!
Friends, I pray that your week thus far has been a blessing. I cannot wait to see each of you Sunday morning as our new beginning continues!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor David
