Thought for the Day – Tuesday 2nd June
‘When he returned to Capernaum
after some days, it was reported that he was at home.’ (Mark 2:1)
Sometimes in my daily devotions when I am reading a passage from the
Bible I get immersed in the story itself, at other times it is the detail of
the story which draws me in and makes me think, however, today as I set about
reading the story of the healing of the paralysed man – which can be found in
full at Mark 2: 1-12 – it was one word which captivated me and that one word
was ‘home’.
Jesus has been out and about performing many, many healings, one of
which was the healing of a leper who begged to be made clean. Jesus ‘moved with pity’ for the man does heal
him and instructs him to go to the priest and be cleansed as it states in the Law
of Moses. However, Jesus also tells him to say nothing to anyone else about the
healing – but the man tells everyone and so it becomes very difficult for Jesus
to move around openly anywhere and so he returns ‘home’.
‘Home’ is a word with many different connotations for what constitutes
‘home’ will be expressed in different ways by different people.
‘Home’ can be permanent or temporary for we can create a ‘home’ in a whole
multitude of places – as Jesus himself did – for in a way he created a sense of
home in quiet places, in the midst of crowds, in certain towns he passed
through and with particular friends.
So, yes, ‘home’ can be a physical place but often it is just a state of
being, a sense of feeling at ‘home’ – ‘home’ being that place where we know we
are accepted, that place where we know we are nourished, that place of
contentment where we can spend time in either work or at leisure.
‘Home’ is that place where our Spirit finds rest, that place where God
calls us to be our authentic, true, grounded, beloved self just as he created
us to be.
In our current state of ‘Lockdown’ we see that word ‘Home’ beaming out
to us from our television screens and from newspapers and from billboards on a
daily basis as we are told to ‘Stay Home’.
Certainly, I am sure all the politicians have left us in no doubt that
they are talking here of our physical home – those four walls within which we
live.
However, if ‘home’ is to be for us that place of contentment, that
place where our Spirit finds rest, that place where we are to be as God created
us to be, then surely we have to try and ‘stay home’ in another sense too – we have
to try and ‘stay home’, stay in relationship with God who has promised another
‘home’ – a place of eternal contentment called ‘home’.
‘Stay Home’
Prayer
Loving Lord,
Never far from us, as close as our breathing, may we rest our souls in
you and find in you a place of contentment called ‘home’ and may we endeavour
to recreate that place of ‘home’ for those whose feel homeless in their lives. In
Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
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