Psalm 83:1-4
“ How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah”
We are all looking for home, a place, or maybe better said, a people to whom we belong. One of Mounce's (Hebrew dictionary) synonyms for this Hebrew word is tribe or clan. We are made for community and we are not whole without it.
The picture that comes into my mind with this verse is the dove that sits now in the corner of the trailer shed with her brood. From below all I can see is her head over the edge of the nest, but she is settled in, comfortable, at home with her brood. A place to lay her young on God’s alter, the Psalm says.
A nest as an alter, what a cool picture.
In verses 5&6 later in the Psalm it says that this "place" begins in the heart. "...in whose heart are the highways to Zion."
On the alter comes an invitation by the Trinity to a place at the table, an invitation to the dance...the place we all long for and were made for.
I am reminded of my friend Kathy’s comment at our gathering the other night, “I just want a place that is home.” The comment was made in the context of what she wants from church. Verses 5&6 of the Psalm’s reference to community begining in the heart, it is about what the heart desires and is willing to give. We equate church with structure/organization, but it is more about the heart and relationship. The place/function of structure is to creat space for heart/home to be nurtured and experienced. Disillusionment with church comes from two directions, too high expectation for the organization from its people and too high expectations from the organization on the people. From both directions there is a subtle expectation for the organization to provide what only the heart is capable of providing...response to God’s invitation to the dance and resting in it.
Our church has created a small town (Home) within the larger confines of Knoxville for Jan and me to live and raise a family and make friends (be community). The nature of this small town has shaped how we think and go about many aspects of our life, but ultimately the life we enjoy, or not, has been up to us to create with what is given. We can love the small town or not, we can agree with what and how it is run or not, we can like who runs the town or not, but the town does not determine the quality and depth of the relationships built. The depth of these relationships is determined by how we love and are loved, by the intentionality and openness of our engagement, by the humility and honesty with which we engage and the faithfulness of our presence over the long haul. It is these that make that town home or not and all of these begin in the heart.
**3/3/20 This is one of what I hope will be a regular entry in my blog. This is a shift from what I have done in the past which has mostly been episodic accounts of things I experience in life. I may continue to post more of the same from time to time, but the drift of the blog, at least for now, will be my observations, prayers, questions, and grappling with the Bible as I read through it over the next two years with some friends. We are together following a 2 year reading schedule and meeting monthly to compare notes. Your comments are welcome and if you are interested in what the reading schedule looks like reply in comments and I will be glad to send it to you.
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