He is not in a building

If I went out on a trip and left for months at a time, and you missed me, you could come to my apartment. You could look at my pictures. You could write me a letter and leave it on my desk…you could go through my books and see the passages I highlighted and look at my doodles in the margins…

You could read my journal and know that last thing I thought before I left on my trip.

You could look through my belongings, and see what I left behind. 

You could enjoy imaginations, light my favorite candle, and smell the richness that comes with sensory memory, thinking of past times we spent together, the dinners, the laughter, the games, the conversations, all while that aroma filled the apartment.

But…

I would not be there.

Would you prefer reliving the memories of our time together over spending time with me? 

What if I wasn’t on a trip at all, but outside the front door…?

What if I had forgotten my key and was knocking, waiting for you to answer so that we could be reunited?

Would you open the door?

What if the apartment burned down?

Would you mourn that you had lost me?

He is not in a building. 

He is among us, and if you believe in Him, He is in YOU.

The trinkets, the toys, the tricks we do to make us feel closer to Him, are cheap replicas of the Original. 

Worship Him on a mountain top. Worship Him in a moldy basement church in China. Worship Him in the waiting room of the cancer wing in a hospital. Worship Him in the homeless shelters. Worship Him while having compassion on your neighbor. Worship Him while forgiving your enemy. Worship Him while carrying your cross. Worship Him in a hut in Africa. Worship Him in front of a burnt out church whether it is in Syria, or Alabama, or Iraq, or Somalia, or anywhere.

We who follow the risen Savior never fear the fire. We are told to walk through it.

Just like the tomb couldn’t contain Him, a church will never contain the Living God. 

He is risen. He is waiting for you. He is accessible. He is humble. 

That’s the Jesus that lives in me. That’s the Jesus who wants to live in all of you, too.