One of the scripture texts that runs through this week is that of John 15 – the Vine and the Branches which contains an extraordinary richness of images; one of which is that of home.
‘Home’ is far more than a physical structure. At its best it is a place of refuge and safety and a place of belonging. It is a place where we can feel settled, where we don’t have to be anything other than who we are. Home is a place where one lives permanently and can put down roots. It is the place we come back to with a welcome sense of familiarity. It is a sanctuary, a place
to retreat and be restored. It is also a place of everyday-ness and human connection. Home allows for messiness. Not the picture-perfect images of interior decorating magazines, but the realness of tables and chairs that get scratched over time, but which hold the memories of countless shared meals.
There is something quite intentional about the idea of “making one’s home” somewhere. When we are only renting a house or staying somewhere short-term it often doesn’t really seem worth the effort to invest much in it. But when we choose to “make our home” somewhere we may decide to do some serious renovations, to plant a garden or organise things in a way that feels like home to
us.
The invitation here is to make our home in Christ as he makes his in us. That my very being is a place where Christ lives permanently. He is not renting space, he is fully investing his life in me. There is something very powerful about the idea that Christ chooses to make me a place where he belongs, where he resides permanently, where he is able to move around with freedom.
Where he will feel able to do the interior renovations that will make it even more comfortable or beautiful.
And then there is the invitation to make my home in him. What does that look like? That Christ is the place I return to again and again, where I am at ease; where I belong and where I can rest. A place that feels familiar because we spend so much time together.
What would help you to make your home in Christ?
How do you sense that Christ has made his home in you?
