A Dwelling Meek and Low

[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections A Dwelling Meek and Low! John 1.14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the! only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1.38 Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and said unto them, What seek you? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? Isaiah 57.15 For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the High and Holy Place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

[0:57] In John 1, we are informed of a very remarkable event. Remarkable in its audacity, but also remarkable in its impact upon humanity. John informs us that the very source of all that exists, God himself, has come to dwell among men, and not just to dwell there, but to dwell there as a man. God himself would clothe and constrain himself to the limits of his creation.

[1:29] The purpose? For dwelling with his creation. The God who walked in the garden with Adam would come and walk among the fallen children of Adam. He would live, die, and live again, so that man might experience something greater than that of Adam. I think today, we too often assume that someone as great as Jesus must have somewhere to dwell that sets him apart from the common riffraff of life. We who recognize the enormity of the event that is the Incarnation, we imagine that someone so grand as the Son of God must have an equally grand dwelling place to match.

[2:16] Luke 9, 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Not only did Jesus not have an earthly dwelling place, but he chose to spend most of his time among those whose earthly dwelling places were not grand or magnificent either. In fact, I am sure you and I today would be quite surprised at the accommodations of the early followers of Jesus.

[2:50] However, even though the accommodations were lowly, the company was magnificent. Any dwelling place, no matter how austere, is made magnificent when Jesus is there. Today, when we look for where Jesus dwells, we might be surprised at some of the choices of his dwelling places.

[3:14] Acts 17, 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands. 1 Corinthians 3, 16 Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

[3:34] When you look at yourself, you may feel that the dwelling place you have to offer Jesus is far too lowly. But take heart. That is exactly the type of heart he came to dwell in.

[3:47] I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also, that is of a contrite and humble spirit. Where does God dwell?

[3:58] In a meek and lowly heart, fit for a high and holy King. Father, thank you that all places are magnificent places when Jesus is there.

[4:12] Keep me today from focusing on the dwelling place, instead of focusing on the one dwelling there. Thank you that you have made fit the dwelling place of my heart, for one so holy and one so lovely as Jesus.

[4:30] Amen.