Finding home

Musician Leon Redbone once said, "Home is where you hang your hat." This is a version of the older phrase, "Home is where your heart is."

Both phrases are actually true for people of faith.

First, there is a sense in which wherever we live and interact, we are called to create a space that we can call "home" for ourselves and for those around us.

For people of faith, "home" is not just a physical structure, but a state of being.

Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." This means that wherever our physical location, we are called to build our lives around the principles given to us by God. In doing so, the interactions we have with our community and others around us are a reflection of the peace and harmony that comes from our faith.

In this sense, we are "home" wherever we "hang our hats," because every location can be a place where we exhibit the grace and compassion that flow from the faith we have been given.

There is also a more permanent idea of home given in the Bible -- one that is eternal. This is often referred to as the "ultimate resting place" for those whose faith in God is the guide for their lives.

For Christian believers, this eternal home is a fulfillment of the promise Jesus gave to his disciples that no matter where they go, and more importantly, no matter when or how their life ends, there is an eternal "home" for all who believe and follow the ways of Jesus.

For instance, Jesus says: "In my Father's house there are many rooms. . . .I am going there to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Because of this promise, which is the promise of an ultimate and forever peaceful home, anywhere we make our temporary home can be a place filled with faith, love, hospitality and compassion to all those we encounter.

So, there is a sense in which we are home wherever we are. Make no mistake, though: There is a sense in which we are not home yet.