Home?

Hebrews 3:1-7
An incredible week in Portland with my new friends (cohort, advisor, teachers and Len Sweet). After flying all night and finally walking in the door at "home" at 6:30 am, I climbed into my familiar bed and crashed (hard). There is a peace about having this sheltered, private space we call home. And yet when I arrived, my wife and boys were not there. So to say I was at home is not completely true. When Joshua says "As for me and my house - we will serve the Lord" - who was he talking about? Certainly not his tent. Home is not as easily defined as we might like. Home is not merely this shell built by human hands that provides us protection, personal space, etc. Home is relational and spiritual - incredibly deep, mysterious and complex. Home is sacred space, it is the world around us which we willingly incorporate into our lives. NOT HOME is that which we reject or avoid. Home defines who we are and what we do. Home is not just something that belongs to us, but home is something that we belong to as well. It is a conglomeration of symbiotic relationships and responsibilities that we are an integral part of. Every element of that relational system is connected and tied together in defining who we are and our place in God's Creation (most often in ways that we are not even aware of, although our Maker is). Ok - I hope I didn't lose anyone - Here are my thoughts in a nutshell...

"And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus..."
*Jesus is "builder/architect of the house" (see Colossians 1:15-20).
*Moses, you and I (and potentially all our neighbors) are "the home" (servants-caretakers-hospitality staff-concierge-wait staff-gardeners etc.)
"But Christ, the faithful Son is in charge of the entire household."

Is HOME really my personal sheltered, familiar, private space where I feel comfortable and can rest? Or is the whole HOME thing much bigger than that? Where was Jesus' home during His 3 years of ministry? A better question might be "WHO is Jesus' home?" Am I really living fully as a member of Jesus' home, or am I hiding out in my own, comfortable, sheltered house? The ongoing answering of this question is life changing: "What is HOME and where do I fit into that whole system?"
It has been discovered that there is a communal nature to the simple life forms of amoebas - they will actually sacrifice themselves for the health and continued existence of the community. Somehow, someway every amoeba counts and is connected and important to the welfare of the rest of God's creation. Examples of the symbiotic connections that exist within God's household are all over the place. The Holy Spirit reminds us to listen to the voice of The Builder - and live accordingly. With connection comes participation & responsibility - on The Maker's terms, not mine. With connection comes joy, here and now and forever.