The familiar door bell ringing could be heard upstairs as Jim and I setup the computer. Familiar voices filled the air with friendly conversation as everyone move down carpeted steps and settled into waiting chairs and an inviting sofa.

"I'm happy to see everyone again this week," I said, as smiling faces greeted me.

"We are going to read about an encounter with a voice in the fog tonight. You'll find that description in Matthew chapter seventeen and verse five," I said, an inviting smile crossing my lips.

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said. "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (NIV)

"Last week we stopped where Peter was telling Jesus they should build three shelters to establish some kind of religious recognition of this awesome event. But, Jesus' Father cuts Peter short when the cloud surrounds them and God tells them what's on His mind," I explained.

Tom raised his hand, always the school teacher. "Let's notice that it says the cloud enveloped them. This word means to enclose. This wasn't some cloud hanging in the sky. It's like God is standing their up close and personal, face to face with the disciples."

"Great observation," I said encouragingly.

"Yeah! And He says listen!" Jacklyn offered.

"Would you read the next part, Rich?" I continued.

When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said."Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. (Matthew 17:6-5, NIV)

A hushed silence moved around the group as we contemplated the impact of this encounter.

I broke the silence. "What do these two verses tell us about the Father's neighborhood?"

"Last week we read that God lives in this intense light that made Him unapproachable by humans. So how does this square with Him showing up in what amounts to a localized fog?" Jasmine asked. (1Timothy 6:16)

"I'm the one who brought that up. So, I'd like to tackle that question,"Erick offered, ownership echoing in his voice.

"You'll notice that Jesus doesn't fall down when his Father lights him up. He appears to be very comfortable with God's presence. The brotherhood character of the Father's neighborhood is emphasized by the presence of Moses and Elijah talking with him about coming events in Jerusalem. And, they appeared to the disciples like real people, not ghosts," Erick said, appearing to feel comfortable with the content of the reading.

"So, why are the disciples so afraid of the voice in the fog? Since they didn't fall down when Jesus was glowing and two long dead guys show up?" Nicole asked respectively.

"Good question," Erick continued. "I think they've been with Jesus long enough that they feel comfortable with him. After all, they've witnessed some amazing miracles and walking on water. His presence is a comfort for them. Jesus doesn't fall down before the voice because agape-love is the bond in their Spirit-to-Spirit relationship."

"When we are with Jesus we are able to join him in that relationship with the Father," Jasmine said. "The cloud is just how the Father dressed to meet His people."

"Does God still speak to people today? That's the question that is stirring  in my thinking," Rich offered.

"Yeah! If God is immortal, which means He's still active today, wouldn't people be hearing from Him?" Jill asked, stabbing the air with her question.

"There still are some people who claim to hear from Him," Nicole commented. "Go to the book store, turn on the TV."

"Good point, Nicole. There is one great way we can check for the authenticity of these voices. If what they are saying doesn't contradict the Bible, they may be worth a listen," I added.

"If you've read Paul's letters in the New Testament you'll find Paul encouraging people to prophesy in their meetings. In those early days they didn't have the New Testament," John commented.

"They were encountering the Father in their spirits and moving those meetings into spoken language," I added.

"What would happen if God made it a habit to encounter people with fog and a loud voice today? We'd be turned into robots. The Father wants a family who's members will return his love by choice. How would any of you feel if you had to force your children to love you? I wouldn't find that kind of love very fulfilling," John continued, a bit of emotion filling his words.

I saw a few heads nod around the group. "Let's look at the rest of this verse," I directed.

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." (Matthew 17:7, NIV)

"Don't be afraid. I'm sure Jesus' touch and words projected the Father's love into their amazed brains. Eye contact with Jesus must have been a calming experience," I said.

"We don't ever have to be afraid of the Father," Rich added.

"Let's open our Bibles to John chapter fourteen and read verses twenty three to twenty four," I continued.

Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and make our home with him.(emphasis mine) He (I'm going to add she, which we can talk about later.)who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (NIV)

"Last week we read in John chapter three and verses five through eight that we are able to have our spirit born again by the Father's Spirit. By the way it was the Holy Spirit that implanted the baby Jesus in Mary," I said. (Matthew2:18-25)

"So, we now have this spirit-to-Spirit relationship with Jesus' Father. (John 3::5) It says here, in John chapter fourteen and verse twenty three that Jesus and the Father will love you...and make their home with you. The Spirit is our home, a loving home, while we are still living in our earthy neighborhood," I pointed out, a sense of joy bubbling up inside me.

"If we back up to verse twenty one we read: He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (NIV)"I continued.

"So, maybe the whole cloud episode was a specific, and perhaps unusual, interjection by God here to make a needed point to the disciples,"Tom suggested.

"Going back to John's point about robots. Our Spirit-to-spirit relationship with the Father can be more like the give and take of a conversation," Chris added.

"Right," I replied. "There were some rather disturbing big time events that they would soon be thrown into. And, they needed to be ready. Only Jesus had the inside information." I commented, happy with the substantive flow of our conversation.

"Maybe that's why he makes this next comment to them as they are coming down the hill." Nicole said, while starting to read verse 9.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew 17:9, NIV)

"That's right! When Jesus left his tomb he hung around his earthy neighborhood for forty days, as reported in Acts chapter one and verse three. He must have appeared to more than just the disciples during that time," Rich said.

"True. Luke writes that Jesus appeared to two men on a walk to the town of Emmaus," I added.

"John writes that Jesus did other things as well. In fact John says that the world wouldn't be able to hold all the books it would take to record everything about Jesus," I added. (John 21:25)

"The Father's neighborhood is very different from our earthy neighborhood. It can't be described with the same time, space and matter, or with the same scientific models," I explained.

"Jesus' job was to show people how the Father loved them. And, since He's immortal. He loves us as well!" Chris said, obviously expressing an aha moment.

"That's right Jesus always invited people. He never put holy power pressure on them to conform to his message," Jasmine added.

"Right. But he didn't hold back the truth either. He wasn't afraid to make his meaning known. He didn't hold back when confronting the temple rulers and dumping over the tables in the temple," Nicole interjected. (John 2:13-16)

"Yeah! He didn't give evil spirits a break either. He sent them packing with the Father's power!" Jacklyn blurted out. (Matthew 8:28-34)

"That's something we can chew on next week. How does power and love find a balance in both neighborhoods?" I continued, aware that it was time to close this session of our group.

A circle was forming around my thoughts as we stood in a circle, holding hands, eyes closed, heads bowed.

"Thank you for giving us a home in your Spirit," I almost whispered.

Other whispered thank you's salted the air around us, moving into the center of our circle. We were all drawing from one Spirit. We had stepped into the Father's neighborhood.

Dear reader, you are invited to join the conversation in your comment space. Please continue with us into the next chapter.