Thought for Today

Genesis 27:39  Then his father Isaac answered him: "See, away from the fatness of the earth shall your home be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.

Psalm 119:54  Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.

Matthew 2:23  There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."  

Luke 9:58  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

Greta and I returned home last night on a ‘red-eye’ flight from the other side of our country. We were in Pulman, Washington to watch our granddaughter walk across the stage at Washington State University’s graduation ceremony. Flying from Boston to Spokane is not quite literally flying from one end of our nation to the other . . . but it’s close enough.

The experience brought several things to my mind. First, I had always assumed that they are called ‘red-eye’ flights because they left the travelers weary and red- eyed. Now, I am wondering whether it has something to do with the entire idea being the product of some demonic, red-eyed demon’s mind. We had good, valid reasons for subjecting ourselves to that timing, but it was somewhat torturous.

A second thought is that I have never fully appreciated the dedication of all the travel-warriors who regularly have to take such flights. When I traveled for business in my first career, I almost always traveled on company time. I do know, however, that many, including our own son, often must take  ‘red-eye’ flights. I am torn between considering that extremely dedicated and admirable . . . or crazy as a loon.

Another thought which struck my mind is the incredible homogeneity of our nation. I will never again say our Pledge of Allegiance without taking special note of “One nation, under God.” We have regional accents. We have regional cuisines. There are probably even regional fashions. I saw more cowboy boots, hats and Levis in Texas than I have ever seen in New England. All of that being said, however, everywhere we went, the folks were pretty much the same. Many of the stores we saw were the same stores we see in eastern Massachusetts.

We traveled across our great nation from Massachusetts to Washington. While we were there, we also took a side trip to Idaho. We were mostly in smaller cities and towns. We were in a more agriculturally oriented area than where we live. But folks were just as friendly and helpful as they are everywhere we have traveled in the U.S.A. In these current times, when we hear so much and read so much about how divided we are, it is comforting to have the ideal of “One nation, under God” reinforced by visiting elsewhere.

And, last night we came home. There are a lot of familiar adages about home. “Home, sweet home.” “Home is where the heart is.” “There’s no place like home.” Even, “You can never return home.” There is a modicum of truth in them all. I even have one of my own, “Home is where my coffee pot is.” If you watched the television series Cheers, you might even think that “Home is where everybody knows my name.” You might think it self-serving of me to add my own greatest truism, “Home is wherever Greta is.” But, it’s true.

Home figures prominently in the Bible. The word appears 50-190 times in the Bible. Sometimes in a positive context. Sometimes, as for Esau in Genesis, in a negative context. As Christians, the idea of home may be best captured in the Psalm above, “Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.” Home for us is not restricted to a particular city, town, state or region. Not even to our own great nation. Home is for us wherever God’s statues are the songs of our lives. It is not about legalism, not about strict, absolute obedience. It is about singing, shouting out in joy at the beneficence and love of our Creator God. Home is where we realize and embody the wonder of John 3:16. Home is where we internalize Ephesians 2:8. Home is where we live out Luke 10:27. That is where our hearts are . . . and we can always return to that home.

Stay safe, be at home with God, trust God,

Pastor Ray