"Our House"

There once was a man who felt that the world was not paying attention to God. So, he laid a foundation, raised walls and put up a roof over hallowed ground. The world took notice of this house the man had built and people began to gather there together in reverence. The man felt that he had served God well and everyone agreed that it was, indeed, a very fine house. Over time it became necessary to expand the foundation, raise the walls even higher and put up a much bigger roof as more and more of the world was welcomed into the house and made itself at home. However; the man began to feel that people were paying more attention to the house than they were to God. So, he moved out. He decided that what God really wanted was to be worshipped quietly and in peace, without all the fuss. On the edge of town, far away from the house, he sat himself down and began to do just that. Or, at least he tried. He found the wind’s whispering through the tall grass distracting and had to keep mowing it down. He grew annoyed by the birds’ twittering and was always chasing them away. He soon discovered others, like him, who had also left and they quickly put up fences to keep each other out. This poor man ended up working so hard that he never had time to worship God. So, he began to wander. He found himself back on the streets of town, all mixed up again with the world among the heartless and hopeless and helpless. He could now see that they were without a home in this world, and he began to build them one out of kindness and mercy and peace. Imagine his surprise when many of them moved into this space with him and they found, together, that they were reverencing God! In this way, they started to build homes and to make homes of their lives for others. And, the world took notice. Over time, the man began to wonder about all those fences he had left out on the edge of town and all the people he had left behind them. He said, “I’ll be right back.” Some answered, “We’ll come with you.” Others prepared lunches for them to bring and to share. When they got to the outskirts, the people there were suspicious of newcomers; the fences where high, far apart and jealously guarded. Imagine their surprise when the man, whom they recognized, went and took down his old fence, inviting everyone to sit down and have a meal with him. Imagine the man’s surprise when they did! So, they all ate together and it felt like home. Even the birds and the breeze and the blossoms on the trees laughed for joy. That night, as the man knelt by his bedside, he thanked God for paying attention to the world, all the people in it and for the Great Gift of Peace. As he put out the light and pulled the covers up to his chin, he thought he heard God thank him for the lovely home we are building.