October 28, 2001 Catalina United Methodist Church Contemporary Worship Service

A Comfortable Home
Psalm 84:1-7

Sometimes I like to turn on the radio and listen to my favorite radio preacher. Well, I guess that he's not a preacher, technically. He's not ordained. And, although he's a Lutheran, he generally doesn't speak from a specific scripture or draw on historic theology.

His name is Garrison Keillor and, week by week, he relates the news from Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. The stories that he tells generally speak to my heart and address the basic spiritual longings that we all know.

A few years ago, Keillor told the story about his first day in seventh grade. His principal, Mr. Detmann, assigned each student to a "storm home." Each was assigned to someone's home, where if a blizzard came during a school day, they would go to their storm home and spend the night there. Keillor's storm home was the Krugers.

The Krugers lived in a little green cottage near the lake. There was a rock garden, and terraces of pansies, petunias, marigolds, and gladiolas. There was a birdbath in the center of the back yard and two lawn chairs. On the trellises, the ivy seemed to march upward in formation. Keillor said that it was the kind of house, that if you were a child and were lost in a dark forest and came across it in a clearing, you would know that there was a kindly old couple living there who would take you home and rescue you.

Keillor said that he often dreamed of going to see them when things got hard. Blizzards aren't the only storms and not necessarily the worst things that can happen to a child. In his imagination, the Krugers would always welcome them into their home and care for him. In his imagination, they would always welcome him with oatmeal cookies, warm milk, and games of cards.

That year there were no blizzards. He never got to go to his storm home. And all of his troubles were bearable troubles. But Keillor believed that they were more bearable because of his storm home. Whenever things got bad, he always thought, "well, there's always the Krugers."

When you think of home, what images come to your mind? Do you think of a house, with all of your belongings? Do you think of people, those you care most about? Or do you think of a geographical location? A city, or a state?

Home brings such a rich imagery to our minds. It has an evocative quality that can bring out the warmest thoughts of our souls. Whatever image comes to your mind when you think of feeling at home, it is most likely one of peace, contentment, security, and calm.

Now, I'd like you to consider the opposite of home in your mind. What pictures come to your mind when you think of homelessness? Do you envision someone on the median of a roadway with a placard asking for money? Maybe you can see the image of a homeless camp, with the bedrolls and paraphernalia of those who are camping in town. Or, perhaps you see people lined up at a soup kitchen waiting to be fed.

Whatever images come to your mind, they are probably the opposite of home. The absence of a comfortable and safe place to live and rest. Missing or broken relationships with others. Uncertainty about tomorrow and the challenges it will bring.

Today's scripture lesson holds an interesting image about our true home, a message of hope in times of uncertainty. The psalm also holds an important challenge for us as Christians.

First, the scriptures teach that:

I.	We Find Our True Home in the Presence of God.

It's a real delight to consider this psalm today. It brings lyric beauty and warm devotion directly from the hearts of the faithful centuries ago - into our hearts this morning. The psalm was written as a holiday song. It was sung during the great autumn festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, when the people celebrated the harvest.

Last week we talked about the pilgrims who made their way from villages to the holy city of Jerusalem. The psalm refers to the pilgrims, making their way through the valley of Baca, on their way to the temple.

The psalmist begins by saying, "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!" He goes on to say, "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." Isn't that a wonderful description of the hunger in our hearts for the presence of God in our lives? Haven't we all felt the deep longing in our souls to find a storm home with God?

Later in the psalm, the author expresses admiration for even the sparrow and the swallow who have built nests in the temple, because they are able to live in the presence of God. This imagery reminds us of Jesus, who talked about his own homelessness. He said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

That's an interesting thought, isn't it? When you think about the life and ministry of Jesus, you know that's true. He didn't own a cute little bungalow in the suburbs of Jerusalem. He didn't even rent a studio apartment in Capernaum to rest and refresh between his travels.

We don't know a lot about where Jesus lived during his ministry, but the scriptures indicate that he frequently stayed with those who were supportive of the ministry. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but Jesus had no home to call his own.

Perhaps that's why Jesus identified so closely with those on the margins of society - prostitutes, dishonest tax collectors, the sick, the disturbed. By coming to the world as one with no special status and with no home to call his own, he was able to identify closely with those who were pushed to the edges of society.

Jesus taught us that we can know God fully without relying on the priests of the temple, or even relying on the temple building itself. The message of Christ teaches us that God lives within us, that our bodies are the temple of God. The good news for us is that we can experience the exhilaration of the psalmist wherever we are. Here in church, at school, at work, in the mountains. Our true home is with God and God lives within us. As we look at today's scripture reading, we also learn that:

II.	The Full Meaning of Home is Found in More Than a Structure.

The pilgrims, who made their way from the villages of Israel to the holy city of Jerusalem, faced an arduous journey. Not only did they face the dangers of roving bands of robbers, but they had to endure a harsh desert climate. In the psalm, we hear the hopefulness that they will find pools of water in the valley of Baca.

Why did the pilgrims undertake such a difficult trip? Because they believed that God's presence lived in the temple. In order to be close to God, they needed to make the trip to Jerusalem. The magnificent temple housed the presence of God on the earth. The message of Jesus teaches us that God is present with us at all times, everywhere.

At Primavera Builders, we have a two-fold mission. We provide construction training for the homeless and at-risk high school students to prepare them for meaningful employment. The results of the trainee's labors are refurbished or new homes that are purchased by low-income families. The results of these efforts are nothing short of miraculous as we watch homes being formed.

First, the trainees in our program find a sort of home with others who have faced difficulties in life. It's exciting to see the sense of teamwork and pride that develops as a new home is constructed.

Second, we have the honor of helping families purchase something that they weren't sure they could ever have - a house of their own. But, we know that we are providing housing - it's up to the buyer to turn it into a true home. And it's exciting to listen to the stories of new owners as they make plans to make a home in this new place.

When I think of the meaning of home, I am reminded of a tender scene in Charles Dickens's classic Nicholas Nickleby. Nicholas was working in a home for children that was more like a slave camp. Nicholas decided that he couldn't stay there. He had become fast friends with a young, crippled boy named Smike. When Smike discovered that Nicholas was leaving, he wanted to go with him. Nicholas, of course, was worried about the reality of his poverty and his inability to offer any kind of real home to Smike. Smike, however, was not thinking of practical matters like food, clothing, and shelter.

In a touching scene, he turns to Nicholas and with much passion exclaims, "You are my home."

You see, the home that Smike sees in Nicholas is the home of a loving presence where he feels safe. It has little to do with walls and roofs that keep out the wind and the rain. The best home is a place in the heart where there is room for loving relationships. We are called to be more faithful to the homes that God has provided for us. And, we are called to provide that safe haven for those around us.

Today's scripture also reminds us that:

III.	As Christians, we are Called to Serve Beyond the Comfort of our Homes.

The last few verses of this psalm describe the feelings of those who are distant from the temple. They don't live in Jerusalem, close to the presence of God. They aren't able to make the pilgrimage to the Feast of Tabernacles. But, they feel that they have their own connection to the presence of God.

I can imagine the pilgrims, returning from their journey to Jerusalem, weary from the trip. As they enter their village, those who couldn't go gather around to hear the stories of the festival. They are hungry to hear about the presence of the Lord. And those who have experienced the powerful presence of God in their lives freely shared it with their fellow villagers.

A few years ago, I found myself facing one of those days when I could have used a storm home, like Garrison Keillor. I was full of doubts and misgivings, unsure which way to turn. I picked up a copy of a CD by Steven Curtis Chapman, the well-known Christian recording artist. On the CD, I discovered a song called "The Walk." The song is derived from the words of the prophet Micah and it spoke to me about the cost of being a disciple of Christ. I'm not sure how Micah would feel about having his words set to a driving rhythm and blues beat, but I thought they sounded pretty good. Here's how the chorus of the song goes:

Well, you can run with the big dogs,
You can fly with the eagles,
You can jump through all your hoops,
Climb your ladder to the top.
But when it all comes down,
You know it all comes down to this:
Do justice.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with your God.

When Micah wrote those words in the 7^th century B.C., he made it clear that God expected the Israelites to work toward justice in their society. This was the type of behavior that God expected from his covenant people. And this message is carried forward in the ministry and teachings of Jesus.

During the life and ministry of Jesus, one night he got into a boat along with his disciples. While they were asleep, a furious storm began to wash over the little boat, with waves crashing down on them. But, Jesus, who had no home to call his own, continued to sleep peacefully. When the frightened disciples woke him, Jesus calmly commanded the winds and the waves to a peaceful state. His disciples were amazed and asked each other, "What kind of man is this?"

Each of us is responsible to determine how it is that we will do justice and love mercy in our daily lives. But the scene in the storm-tossed boat gives us a clue. As Christians, we are inheritors of the power of Christ and we are called to make a difference in chaotic situations.

Whether it is a storm of dissension and broken faith in our own homes, or the tempest of youth violence in our society, or the plight of the homeless and poor in our cities, we can claim the power and confidence to stride calmly into the midst of the frightening situations.

Just as Jesus possessed the power, strength, and courage to face life without a place to lay his head, we know that we can face the storms of our lives and our society if we only depend on his strength and power. If we are being true to our calling and the message of Jesus, our actions will cause others to ask in amazement, "What kind of people are these Christians?"

Jesus, of course, is our "storm home," the Loving Presence that we can depend on to make us feel safe and to keep out the wind and the rain of our lives. But Jesus also challenges us to step out into the storms of life with confidence and compassion to help others find the home that we know so well.

Amen.