2 Samuel 7:10

"And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed."

Kenneth L. Samuel

In a basic sense, "home" is wherever we feel that we belong. Many of us find that sense of "belonging" at specified addresses among certain people. Others find belonging in the various corridors and communities they inhabit in their journeys along the roads of life. But wherever it is for each of us, we all need entry and invitation to someplace we can call home.

To live without a home is to live the curse of Cain. After Cain murdered is brother, Abel, God spoke to him, saying: "Now you are under a curse. . . You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."  Cain responded: "My punishment is more than I can bear" (Genesis 4:12-13). To be a spiritual nomad; to have no resting place for one's weary soul, no open door of affirmation or affinity; to have no place to call home—this is surely more than any human spirit can bear.

The good news of this season is that in Christ, God has extended limitless hospitality to each and every one of us. Everyone has kinship among the family of faith, for "All souls are mine" says the Lord. God beckons us to a habitat for all of humanity—a house of refuge for every weary traveler. In Christ, God has come to each of us with a personal invitation: "The table is spread, and the feast of the Lord is going on. You are invited."

Dorothy travelled all the way to the Land of Oz before she realized that there's no place like home. Many of us have travelled near and far in our dreams, pursuits and exotic longings. Some of us are still away on distant journeys. But isn't it good to know that no matter where we've roamed, with faith in God’s eternal gift of love, we can always come home?

Prayer

Dear God, we thank you for a house of Love that is big and broad enough to shelter us from every hostility of life. Help us to extend your hospitality to everyone we meet, in every place we go. Amen. 

About the Author Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

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