We finally met Jesus. He stayed at our house last night. He’s a very nice man. He lives in Seattle now. And you may be surprised to learn that he was actually born in Peru.
I learned a lot about good hospitality from my parents. And my parents had a guest book. As a little boy I loved getting visitors to sign it, and then read what they had written.
So, John and I have always had a guest book at our house. It gives us a lot of pleasure. Sometimes we forget to ask visitors to sign it. But when we learned Jesus was coming, we reminded each other to not forget to have Him sign it.
Jesus married Melissa, my second cousin once removed, in June. I haven’t seen her in eight years, and out of the blue she calls and asks if she and her husband can stay overnight with us.
They are on their way to Peru to visit his family, who Melissa will meet for the first time. They have a layover in Newark. How can you say no to a distant cousin with a sweet story like that? How can you say no to Jesus? So, I said, “of course you can stay with us.”
When in the presence of Jesus, I noticed that common small talk can somehow seem funny. For example:
“Would you like something to drink… water, wine…?
“How long will you be gone? Are you coming back for Easter?”
“You’ll have to forgive us for the mess…”
Well, it seems funny to me.
As the conversation progressed, we learned things about each other, and about life in Seattle, and about Jesus‘ family, and about Peru, and about visiting Machu Pichu.
I enjoyed reminiscing with Melissa about our family. I especially enjoyed remembering with her our relatives who are gone. I feel a special contentment when in the presence of someone who knew my parents. It’s as if we are all together in the room.
John and I find the great thing about having guests is they bring fresh energy into your house. When you open doors to guests, you open doors to new experiences and potential.
By the time we went to bed, our living room was filled with conversations and people and places. And it was looking much more likely that John and I will one day visit Seattle, and Machu Picchu.
Today, after saying goodbye to Jesus and Melissa at the airport, I was back at home and about to read the most recent entry in our guest book when the doorbell rang.
Feeling more hospitable than usual, I opened the door with a very welcoming smile. Two women greeted me and presented me with this pamphlet.
As Jehovah’s my witness, I swear to god this really happened.
“Jesus, I just took him to the airport” I said.
Helen and Josephine looked puzzled.
Well, it seemed funny to me.
live. enjoy. repeat.