Huisbezoeken #2

Huisbezoeken  Sounds like an old Dutch term doesn’t it? The actual translation for it is House(Huis) Visiting(bezoeken). Huisbezoeken is a lost “art” in the modern church. 

Back as a child, I vividly remember that once a year we either had a "huisbezoek" from the Minister or two elders. Typically they came in the evening and sat down with my parents for coffee. 

Back when David and I were first married, we lived in northern BC before we moved here to Maple Ridge. We moved here shortly after our twins Rebekah and Naomi were born and had our membership transferred here to MRCRC. Not long after our arrival we had our first "Huisbezoek". One afternoon when life was feeling rather hectic (when doesn't it feel that way when you have newborn twins and an 18 month old energetic son) there was a knock at the door. I opened it only to see an old High School teacher, Rick Spiers and his fellow elder Gary Bil. We didn't have much in the way of living room furnishings, but these two men didn't care. They spent the next hour or so holding babies, and playing with Zachariah. With Rick it was like renewing a friendship(my Dad was actually a friend of Rick so I knew him outside of school as well as in school) and with Gary it was making a new friend who just loved our kids. He even offered his daughter to babysit for us when we wanted to go out on a date.

Over the years we were at MRCRC we had occasional visits from either elders or the Pastor. Fast forward 10 years and we are now back again.  It was important for David and I to meet together with Pastor Tim and he obliged. Then shortly after David's Mom passed away, we again were visited by Pastor Tim.  Both these visits meant a lot to us, just knowing that some out there cared about us.

"Huisbezoeken" is not just restricted to Pastors and elders. 1 Peter 4:9 tell us "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling" and Romans 15:7 says "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Hospitality is suggested in the scriptures yet we see it as an optional part of the bible. For some people hospitality comes very natural and it's easy yet for others they feel it involves a lot of work and with our busy lives now a days, it's just nice to sit back and rest on a Sunday. Hospitality is an important endeavor, and it is a joy to those who extend it, as well as those who receive it. Love God, Loving our city, Loving one another!

May our goal and joy in hospitality be to build up fellow believers for the coming day when Christ will gather us to His home. The greatest "Huisbezoek" ever!