Come Closer

            I shared last week about a trip that Ann and I made to Colorado a few weeks ago.  As I stated last week, the trip had two main purposes.   First,  I was attending and providing leadership at a national meeting of rural United Methodist church leaders.   The second purpose for our time there was to visit with one of our daughters and her family who live in Colorado.  There were people from all over the country in the meeting of rural United Methodist church leaders. 

Among them was a man named Norman.   He is a Native American and pastor who lives in the “Four Corners” area (a region where the states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado come together).    When I told Norman I was from North Carolina, he shared with me about his days in the U.S. Army as a member of the 82^nd Airborne which is based at Fort Bragg (near Fayetteville).     Norman shared with us an interesting fact about the Navajo people.  In the native tongue of the Navajo, the term that they use for the word “welcome” literally means in English to “come closer”.   He shared that in days past that the homes of the Navajo did not have a door because they wanted people to feel welcome to “come closer”.

“Come closer” and welcome.   What a contrast to the world where many of us live today.   While we might know the details of friends on a social media site like Facebook, some do not even know the names of the people next door or on their street.   Many come home from work, drive their  cars into a garage, and never come out to see or speak to their  neighbors.    

            “Come closer”.    God wants us to come closer.      In Revelation 3:20, we read:

²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

In the life of the early Church, you only ate with persons that you wanted to have a close relationship with.     God wants us to come closer to Him.  He is standing at the door of our heart  wanting that each and every day.   Will we  say yes!   Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God, forgive us for the times we have kept you at a distance and wanted you to be a part of our lives on Sundays but not every day of the week.   We give you thanks for how you came close to the world through the life of your Son, Jesus Christ.     Help us to live in a deeper relationship with Him.   Amen.