What is “Home”?

Sermon Title: What is “Home”?

Good News Statement: Jesus makes us a home

Preached: Sunday, June 26, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): 2 Kings 2:1-8 Today’s scripture reading comes from 2 Kings chapter two verses one thru eight. Listen to the words of Elijah as he prepares Elisha for his ascension into heaven…

Elijah Ascends to Heaven

2 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. ⁷ Fifty men of the company of prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

            A tour guide was leading a group of tourists through some of the most beautiful sights and sounds in France. One of the stops was a majestic, ancient castle in the countryside. “This castle was built nearly 900 years ago,” said the guide. “All of the features are original—not one wall has been altered, and not a single stone has been changed. There has been not a single upgrade, superficial or functional, in all these years.” When the tour guide said this, a man in the group nudged his wife and whispered in her ear: “Gosh honey, they must have the same landlords we do.”

In 2012, Season 11 American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips, released a song that invited the world to ponder the word “home.” His song titled Home, quickly became a phenomenon that changed the world. His lyrics, “Hold on to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road,” became an anthem of comfort and embrace as many people found themselves travelling down unfamiliar paths and territories during their lives. On these unfamiliar roads and paths, Phillips reminds us, “Just know you’re not alone; cause I’m gonna make this place your home.” No matter where these unfamiliar roads were going, as long as we are travelling with others, any place can become our home. Just no you’re not alone…

Phillips’ song became so popular that it became the theme song for the USA Women’s Olympic gymnastics team in 2012, and it appeared in every other commercial heard on TV. Those who interviewed Phillips said he didn’t even like this song at first and didn’t want to sing it, mostly because it wasn’t his song. He prefers the ones he writes himself, supposedly. But I think he has made his peace with this one. It has become his signature song. He probably will never do a concert and not sing Home; fans would demand their money back if they didn’t hear him sing this song. Ten years later, after its initial debut, Home is still impacting this world and our lives: it has truly become an anthem of the 21^st Century. Why? Because, in an uncertain age, singing about home captures everyone’s attention. It touches something deep within us—some longing, some hope that almost goes beyond words—home, family, roots, settling down, putting your feet up. Make yourself at home. Home touches us in different ways. What do you think about when you hear the word home?

Is home a place? Is home a space? Is home where you do not feel alone? Is home where your roots are planted, where you have settled down, where your family is? Is home more than just a place of things? Is home a treasure chest of memories, of stories, of sadness, of laughter, and of new beginnings? What does home mean to you? In 1939, Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, from The Wizard Oz, said these famous words, “There’s no place like home.” Jesus gives us home to live in for eternity—a home in “glory land that out shines the sun”—but here on earth where or who is your home?

Opening Prayer:

            Let us pray… Dear Heavenly Father, as we listen to your words, help us to find a home in you—a place where we aren’t alone, but are loved and protected.  May my words fall to the ground as Your words settle in the hearts of all those before me. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Body:

In 2020, VerifiedMovers.com conducted a survey concerning how much people move. The average person in America will move as many as 11.7 times in their life: 48% of moves relate directly to the housing, 30% of moves are family related, 19% of relocations have to do with a job relocation, and 3% of moves fall into the “other” category. Those between the ages of 18 to 34 have a higher rate of moving. The average relocation distance is within a 50-mile radius of one’s current location. The months of May through September are when 56% of people decide to move. And the top ten states which people choose to move to are Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It appears, based on these statistics, that humans are prone to moving. With all this moving, the quote “There’s no place like home” begs us today to ask ourselves “What is home?”

In the span of almost 16 years, I have moved three times. In 2007, I moved with my parents to the house that they live in now; then in 2018, I moved to Evanston for three years; and a year ago today, I moved to Oblong, IL. In the span of 16 years I have called three new places home. Even the place that I grew up in from 1995 to 2007, I still call my home. Each home has provided me with shelter, memoires, laughter, stories, new learning experiences, getting in trouble, blaming my siblings for everything, taping pizza boxes to the ceiling to cover up mouse holes, and a wonderful community. Each place has also given me a family to love and to lean on. Each place has challenged me to think about what home actually means to me.

In Greek, “home” literally means “home, house, dwelling, a place of residency.” Home is a physical space that offers a place to rest, to eat, to gather, to live in or to stay for a while. Home is what you see as you drive through any town or community: physical buildings with doors, windows, roofs, porches, yards, etc. In Hebrew, “home” becomes more sacred, more liturgical. Sure, it still means “home, house, dwelling, and residency;” but it also means “tabernacle.” From the Old Testament, specifically from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we are given specific ornate instructions concerning how to construct a tabernacle: what the curtains are made of, what color the curtains should be, where the Arc of the Covenant should be placed, what should be surrounding the Arc of the Covenant, how many lampstands are to be used, how much gold should decorate the altar, and the list goes on and on and on. Additionally, we are given the definition of a tabernacle: “a fixed or movable meeting place for worship.” From the Hebrew word for “home,” we learn that home is a moveable thing that goes with us. It travels with us, it stays with us, and it makes sure that we are never alone. Furthermore, through means of the tabernacle, “home” becomes a sacred—a holy—place of worship where people gather to give praise to God, confess before Jesus, and receive the Holy Spirit. “Home” is not just any place or space in our life. As a matter of fact, “home” goes with us wherever we go

In the traditional Hebrew language, “home” also means family. But this meaning has deeper roots in the Japanese language. “Home” in the traditional Japanese language means “household”—those who live together in one place—and “family.” The traditional Japanese household structure is known as ie, which refers to a multi-generational household with a patriarchal head. Traditionally, the patriarch would maintain authority and responsibility for all family members, with homes usually located near the extended family of the husband. In Japan, when one talks about “home” they talk about family. They talk about uchi—where those people live and who those people are. Over the centuries, “home” has transformed from a physical stationary place, to a sacred moveable space, and now to a group of people we call family. However, Jesus had a tough time conveying this message to the people of the New Testament, and he wasn’t subtle about his frustration.

Luke 9:51-56, demonstrates Jesus’ frustration: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival, but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.” The Samaritans didn’t want to deal with Jesus. This realization ticked off the disciples too; they wanted to call down fire to burn them all up. Everyone seems to be a bit on edge in chapter nine of the Gospel of Luke. It’s like everyone just needs to go home. Go home and settle down. Go home and calm yourself.

Jesus knows the time is coming when he would no longer walk on this earth; and all he wants to do is be welcomed—to become part of someone’s family. However, Jesus is rejected, told to keep moving, to never come back. Sometimes even home isn’t home. The unreachable destination, the unrealized dream, the undiscovered country, doesn’t even want a harmless outsider to be welcomed in, to become part of their family. But that’s not what Jesus teaches us. He teaches us that we are to love everyone, to make a home for all, and to build his family here on earth.

Jesus goes on to say to the disciples, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). We just learned by examining the etymology of the word “home” that home is more than just a place to live: “home” is uchi, a group of people who call themselves family and who travel together. But yet, Jesus, the Son of Man, has nowhere to lay his head. Everyone else and everything else has a “home” but he doesn’t. Jesus’ uchi has left. How does that make you feel as disciples of Christ? Do you have a place for Jesus to lay his head in your life, in your house, or even in your heart? Do you know of someone who needs to build a home for Jesus? Not a temple like King Solomon did (1 Kings 5-7) but a simple house? It could be one of those tiny houses that you see advertised now! All Jesus wants is to become part of a family, of your family, but he keeps getting rejected. Jesus is forced to keep wandering in the wilderness, sort of like Elijah and Elisha.

Home has always been a moveable feast. Not this place or that place, but the accommodation created when followers journey together for a time. There’s no place like it. “There’s no place like home.” But where is it? That might be the question that Elisha and Elijah seem to be wrestling with in our text from the Hebrew Scriptures. There is something going on here—something about wandering and something about going home, but it isn’t quite clear which is which.

Surely you agree that there is some significant wandering going on in these verses. We start in Gilgal, head to Bethel, then over to Jericho, and then to the Jordan. That’s quite a hike for a guy on his last day on earth (2 Kings 2:11)! I heard a sermon once that counted the miles. From Gilgal to Bethel was seven miles. From Bethel to Jericho was eleven miles, and from Jericho to the Jordan was a mere five miles. All of which means that on Elijah’s last day on earth, he wandered twenty-three miles. That’s almost a marathon. But why?

Maybe he was just wandering. Maybe he was looking for a little alone time, a little “Elijah time.” He did keep telling Elisha to stay behind. Some commentators say Elijah was testing Elisha to see if he would really go through with it. But I don’t know. It seemed like Elisha was making a pest of himself and wouldn’t give Elijah space. So, maybe he kept moving trying to shake the kid off.

Or maybe there was a destination in mind. Gilgal: while there are many places with that name, it was a place of remembering. There were standing stones set up there as a reminder of what God had done for the people. So, from a place of remembering, Elijah headed to Bethel, the “house of God.” This is the place where Jacob wrestled with the angel to receive a blessing (Genesis 32:22-32). Then Jacob named it Bethel, perhaps thinking that he wrestled in God’s living room. But it was a place full of the presence of God.

From Bethel he went to Jericho. We know Jericho, a place of victory, or walls falling down, and battles won. So, is this a place of triumph? Well, yes, but whose triumph? Remember the story of Jericho? Before the march and the trumpets and the urban renewal, Joshua stands on the brink of war, not sure he can win, but dedicated to the fight anyway (Joshua 1-6). When, in the dark of the night, a warrior appears to him. And Joshua asks what any of us would have asked: “Friend or foe? Whose side are you on?” The warrior answered, “Neither! I’m here as the commander of the Lord’s army.” Or as one commentator has noted, the warrior said, “I’ve not come to fight on either side, I’ve come to take over”. And Joshua let him. Joshua falls on his face and says, “What does the Lord want from me?” Jericho was a sign of triumph, but it was God’s triumph and not ours. So, while a scene of victory, it is a victory that comes from surrender. It is pledging allegiance not to any earthly power, but to the Word of the Lord, to make a home for God in your life. So, from victory out of surrender, what might be left? Where else should we wander on our last day on earth? Well, nowhere else but the Jordan.

The Jordan is the river by which we lay down our sword and shield. “Let’s go down to the river to pray, studying about that good old way and who shall wear the starry crown, good Lord; show me the way.” The Jordan is that barrier across which we look and see a band of angels coming to carry us home. The Jordan is the symbol of death and Resurrection in baptism, and it is the entrance into the Promised Land, the place where we pray. Elijah wandered the route of the people of God, from awareness to contention toward surrender and victory and then came to the end in the Presence of the Kingdom. Elijah wandered until he found his home in God, until he found the family who had always been with him. Elijah’s home was moveable, a sacred and holy space, where he was never alone. God was and is the home of Elijah, just like Jesus is our home today.

Maybe Jesus was trying to prove something to us when he got upset for not being welcomed into the village of the Samaritans. Maybe he was trying to remind us of Elijah’s journey and the realization that home is never found by standing still but instead is always in the presence of the ones we love. Wherever they go, we go too because they are our home.

Conclusion:

Home is a journey. As the chorus to Phillip Phillips’ song reminds us, “Settle down, it’ll all be clear/Don’t pay no mind to the demons/They fill you with fear/The trouble, it might drag you down/If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone/’Cause I’m gonna make this place your home.”

At times we may find ourselves retracing our steps, revisiting different stages on our journey; but we will find our way in the end. We will find our way home. We may be all over the map, but we do indeed have a destination. We’re heading home, and home is where God is. Home is here and home is not there. Home is the relationships that we build with one another, but most important with God. We are brought home in the Spirit, the one who calls and the one who sends. Home is where our family is. Home is where our heart lives. And home is where we are not alone. This church has become my home for almost a year now. All of you sitting before me, have become my home—my family, my friends, my adopted parents and grandparents. You all have made a home for me, a relationship I never want to leave. “There’s no place like home.” There’s no place like the kingdom of God. So what does “home” mean to you? Are you wandering or have you found your destination? Where and who is your “home”?

Closing Prayer:

Let Us Pray…Dear Heavenly Father, as we seek to make a home for you in our lives, may we also come to know that we can make a home in your loving embrace. Lord, as we travel from place to place, as we close a door and open another one, may we always be reminded that our home is where our heart is, where our family is, and where you are. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

What does home mean to you? May God bless your home and all those who have made your house into home. And may God remind you that you are never alone. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go, transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. Amen. Amen. Amen.