Home

Come home (2:1)

In David Goodhart's book The Road to Somewhere he argued that a key faultline in Brexit Britain lay between the somewheres - people rooted in a single community, and socially conservative in values - and the anywheres - people socially liberal in values, and geographically mobile. This idea had enough traction to cause controversy at the time, and it remains intriguing to think that may be more than just our political values are governed by what makes us feel at home. We might wonder as we put our next cross in a box, or find our next job, or decide on our next holiday, if home is what we leave behind, or what we take with us. 

Unsurprisingly Jesus seems here to fit neither category, being both rooted and mobile. His home is not somewhere, or anywhere, because his home is in heaven. Is ours?



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Together

Image
Carried by four of them (2:3) The proverb, it takes a village to raise a child, is thought to originate in Nigeria. It refers to the idea that children acquire a rounded personality from safe interaction with lots of different people, and not just their parents. Bertrand Russell went one step further, suggesting to one correspondent that her biological parents were the worst people to bring her up as they would share her innate prejudices rather than lead her to question them. As a child my parents took me on Christian holidays on which they led. They were always busy and left me to my own devices, allowing me to get to know lots of very different people, all in an entirely safe environment. It was a taste of heaven that has never left me. It took four men to carry the paralysed man to Jesus, maybe because they had only a sheet on which to bear him, but he had many more companions on the journey. It seems it takes a whole village to bring someone to Jesus so they can be made whole. Now
Read more

First

Image
He appointed Simon (3:16) Tuariki Delamere invented the front-flip long jump. There is only one grainy video of him performing the jump at a regional competition. It was immediately banned as too dangerous and no one has heard of him. Dick Fosbury invented the back-flip high jump. His technique is used by every top high jumper at every significant event. He won an Olympic gold medal and his name is written into history as the Fosbury flop. The difference? Not risk. The actual risk of a broken neck is probably higher in a back-flip than a front-flip. No. Timing! Delamere revealed his at a small local competition so it could easily be banned. Fosbury revealed his at the Olympics. If Delamere had done the same he would be an Olympic gold medalist and everyone would be doing a front-flip long jump, the Delamere roll. Peter is first in the list of apostles because he became the leader of the first church. He seems to have been appointed as such by Jesus. Why? Well I suppose you could say ti
Read more

Lazy

Image
They exclaimed (1:37)  'Is it your day off?' It's a common question aimed at vicars found anywhere not in the parish. The implication is usually '...if it's not, why are you [shopping]' or similar word. It contains more than a hint of complaint, though I suppose the answer is always going to be, 'Well... not now'. I wonder if Jesus felt the same. Here were the disciples having a good moan at him without taking the time to wonder why he was off on his own. Just as, to stay sane, the vicar needs the odd break in the middle of a working week, so Jesus needed a moment alone with his heavenly Father to recharge and get ready for the next stage of the mission. Indeed we all need to permit ourselves time to kick back and take time out, without guilt or the fear that someone somewhere is going to see us as slackers. How about it? As the song goes, 'Today I don't feel like doing anything'. Why not give it a try - you never know, it might be just what
Read more