“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”[1]
Home Sweet Home. More than a sweet sentiment to mount on a wall, or the deep appreciation felt upon one’s return following a long season away; longing for home is etched upon our hearts. From Homer’s Odyssey to Spielberg’s E.T., artists prove that the ‘quest for home’ theme resonates deeply with us. It touches our need for relationships, identity, and security. When asked to draw a picture of “where you live”, children all over the world invariably centre their drawings around home, making it the anchor for everything else.
From where do we get this longing for home? Go way, way back: to our first home, the Garden. There, we communed with God, and flourished with a life filled with identity, security, and love … until we didn’t. Man’s sin resulted in a home disordered, highlighted by our separation from God. Regardless of our best efforts since then to make ‘home’ a primary right and pillar of society, we remain restless people. As Augustine famously wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
Thankfully, God cares about our rest even more than we do. His objective has always been to dwell with man: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. (Revelation 21:3)” This is why we quest for home: we are made for God, and in his great mercy he has always provided a way for his children to dwell with him. From the Tabernacle to the Temple, to individual believers and the Church universal, to Christ and the New Jerusalem in eternity – God has always honoured his objective of dwelling with us.
Something to See:
As we consider the theme of dwelling this week, how does this fit in the Story of Everything? God has delivered his people from Egypt, and they find themselves on their way to a new home – the Promised Land. From chapter 25 to the end of Exodus, the presence of God is paramount, and found centred in the Tabernacle. Israel needs his presence. When he goes by cloud they follow, and when he stays, they stay. But we also see consistently through this narrative that God is holy, but his people are not. How does a holy God reside with his people? Stay tuned…
[1] CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, (Glasgow, Collins, 1978), p118