I have three mansions. You couldn't tell it by looking at me. I am a very average woman of a certain age. I don't have servants and I do all the cooking and cleaning myself. The structure and decor of these mansions varies widely. John 14:2 (King James version) mentions mansions: "In my father's house there are many mansions; if not, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." NIV renders "mansions" as rooms while other versions use abodes or even houses. I prefer the word mansion for the grandeur conveyed by " a large stately house." My earthly mansions are really spirit houses. They are the Catholic Church, The Evangelical Free Church and my own heart.
The Catholic Church is the Church of my childhood. It is filled with the encouraging lives of the saints who have gone before us. It is brimming with incense, icons and a profound reverence for Christ. Candles remind me of Him who is the way, the truth and the Light. (John 14:6) The Mass is centered around the Eucharist. I enter the Catholic church to refresh my connection with the sacred.
The Evangelical Free Church is simple in its decor but rich in its Biblical teaching. The sanctuary chairs face a huge floor to ceiling window that looks out on the snow-capped mountains. The beams come together at the front to create a cross in the center of the window. The preaching focuses on the practical application of Biblical principles; I need this to fashion my heart as a proper dwelling place for the Spirit. In Bible study, I am surrounded by women who want to study the Word and let it thrive in their hearts. This encourages and strengthens me. I treasure the ability to delve into the Word and make it my own. This has encouraged me to see my relationship with God as both communal and deeply personal.
My heart space is my final mansion. Matthew 6:5 says: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." In it's best form, this space is light filled and spacious. Beautiful music and art bring me here immediately. Meditation brings me here on purpose. Sometimes I show up with a shopping bag full of things I want to return: resentment, anger, jealousy and even fear. When I meet my Father in this place, I take my items out of my bag. I place them on the table and turn them over. Assured in the knowledge that I am a loved daughter, I can admit my flaws and gain the courage to work from the highest version of myself.
Some commentators maintain that ornate houses await believers. Others believe that Jesus speaks of mansions and dwellings to stress the inclusiveness of heaven. If heaven is inclusive and welcoming, the divided worship of earth may be outmoded. Could the heart space be the common abode of heaven and earth? The heart is not bound by geography or time.
Matthew 6:20-21 reads: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." In John 15 Jesus says"This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you." The command is simple, radical and demanding. The Lord did not say hoard as many earthly possessions as possible and think of yourself first. No, he commanded that we begin with our own heart and work outward.
The Catholic Church is the Church of my childhood. It is filled with the encouraging lives of the saints who have gone before us. It is brimming with incense, icons and a profound reverence for Christ. Candles remind me of Him who is the way, the truth and the Light. (John 14:6) The Mass is centered around the Eucharist. I enter the Catholic church to refresh my connection with the sacred.
My heart space is my final mansion. Matthew 6:5 says: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." In it's best form, this space is light filled and spacious. Beautiful music and art bring me here immediately. Meditation brings me here on purpose. Sometimes I show up with a shopping bag full of things I want to return: resentment, anger, jealousy and even fear. When I meet my Father in this place, I take my items out of my bag. I place them on the table and turn them over. Assured in the knowledge that I am a loved daughter, I can admit my flaws and gain the courage to work from the highest version of myself.
Some commentators maintain that ornate houses await believers. Others believe that Jesus speaks of mansions and dwellings to stress the inclusiveness of heaven. If heaven is inclusive and welcoming, the divided worship of earth may be outmoded. Could the heart space be the common abode of heaven and earth? The heart is not bound by geography or time.
Matthew 6:20-21 reads: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." In John 15 Jesus says"This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you." The command is simple, radical and demanding. The Lord did not say hoard as many earthly possessions as possible and think of yourself first. No, he commanded that we begin with our own heart and work outward.
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