The Gospel Comes with a House Key
God Never Gets the Address Wrong (2|4)
The Providence of Hospitality
• Going Back to School
• Life Goes On
• February 1998, Syracuse, New York
Pages 71-78
TOGETHER read the book (END READING AT: How does such a thing happen, I wondered?) and discuss the content below.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out (try to keep it brief).
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
A metaphor works on the power of the page. A metaphor is not real or alive or any of that. A metaphor cannot be true. Perhaps if the resurrection was a metaphor, it explained why Jesus could not follow me to any place where I really needed him.
A gospel of respectable morality for respectable people wasn’t going to come close to the knife that pierced my heart. Who could open my heart, see what was inside, and make me new? If the resurrection was a metaphor, I had little confidence that Mass would make things new.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your notes and pray.
Rosaria Butterfield gives three simple truths of how someone like her could become such good friends with Ken and Floy.
They wouldn’t let go of her. They were unshakably and prayerfully present.
Rosaria was smitten with their hospitality.
They both liked their enemies close but this sentiment meant something different to each of them.
What is your response to that statement?
Who around you would benefit from you being “unshakably and prayerfully present” in their life?
Rosaria Butterfield said: These Christians talked about peace that came from outside, from God himself. This community was not left alone to their good intentions. God had found them out, and they were on good terms with him. How does such a thing happen, I wondered?
What is your response to that statement?
Pause and pray - thank God that he has “found you out.”
EXTRA READING:
“The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because He has overcome you. A thirsty person is happy when drinking, and not depressed because the spring is inexhaustible. You can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring; then you thirst again, you can drink from it once more.”
- Ephrem the Syrian (306 - 373)