By Faith: Going Home
Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:8-16
He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:10
Ask travelers “Where is home?” and they will not point to the tent or hotel room in which they are staying. They will mention the name of their country, town, or city instead.
Abraham lived in a tent. So did his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. These were people on the move. Ask them, “Where’s home? Describe your neighborhood,” and they may well have shrugged their shoulders. They had no fixed address, except for the region God had called them to. In their lifetime the land they were in (Canaan) never got beyond being a land of promise. They were looking forward “to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Where is your home? If all you can answer is an earthly city and street address, you have missed the point the writer of Hebrews is making. Christians are Abraham’s spiritual offspring. We have no more permanent home in this world than he did. Home points to the future, our life in God’s presence forever. Home summons us to lift up our eyes of faith to see that we are citizens of the kingdom of God. Home is where Jesus is. Home is where God is and where the New Jerusalem, the city of his kingdom, has fully come. Home is a new earth under a new heaven.
And it is coming. Believe it!
Father, help us not to get so comfortable that we fail to look or long for anything better. By faith help us look forward to the city you have built. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
About the author — Gordon Pols
Rev. Gordon Pols and his wife, Ann, have two married children and two grandchildren. After serving four congregations in Western and Central Canada, Rev. Pols retired from active ministry in 2007. He is currently doing parttime pastoral work with West End Christian Reformed Church, Edmonton, Alberta. He also works parttime for Crossroad Bible Institute, promoting a Bible study correspondence course for prison inmates.
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