Are you at home? This is a preview of heaven

Sep. 17—You have a home. You are not homeless. Don't take that for granted. The USA now has over 550,000 homeless people; including over 77,000 in NYC and over 60,000 in L.A. Though our Lord Jesus Christ was itinerant, and knew that "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20), it seems that most humans by nature have a strong need for a dwelling.

We have gotten quite nomadic in modern times, with many people moving to new locales frequently. (I, for example, have lived in 10 different houses, not counting college and seminary years. Some might quip that I "couldn't hold a job," but let's not go there.) I moved now and then, but I did always have a place to lay my head.

American homes are definitely larger, growing by 47% more square footage in the last 40 years. There has been a clear trend: the American family has gotten smaller and the American house has gotten bigger. With COVID forcing most folks to be at home more, home updates and amenities skyrocketed also. Homes are beloved. Having a nice home is a key piece of the American dream, and of good emotional and social health. Is it OK to say that home is our sanctuary, our haven of rest?

Lest I wax too fondly on the joy of having a home, I should also lay that aside the Biblical truth that "the world is not our home." (Hebrews 13:14) "We are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding." (I Chronicles 29:15) We don't fully and finally belong to the world. As C.S. Lewis wrote, "Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home." You might say that home is heaven for beginners. In our homes we are to be at peace and learn to get along and shut out life's cruelties and meet the needs of each other and rest in the goodness of the Lord. God's people are commanded to "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce" (Jeremiah 29:5).

Our earthly homes are meant to be glimpses of our eternal home. They are not to be edifices to ourselves and showplaces of our personal glory. At home we can be hospitable and neighborly. We can live simply and securely. The home is a tool to be used for good, while we have it. Some day we will leave it behind for our forever home, in which "My people will abide in peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." (Isaiah 32:18)

Chris Brekke is a retired pastor who served Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Rochester for 13 years and Trinity Lutheran in West Concord for 10. He and his wife live in Roseville, Minn., where he keeps busy with volunteering, church and family.

"From the Pulpit" features reflections from area religious leaders. To contribute, email us at life@postbulletin.com with "From the Pulpit" in the subject line.