We often say, “home is where the heart is.” In some ways, this is very true, but in other ways, it could not be further. The saying assumes that pleasure, love, and all matters of the heart make someone feel ‘at home.’ The problem with this statement is that it also assumes we are comfortable in our own skin, but not everyone is. There are a lot of people (arguably most people) who feel unbalanced, alone, and not ‘at home’ in their skin. 

Another way to think of it is that Jesus inaugurates a new kingdom creating new rules and new expectations on earth. People who are comfortable in their old way of life do not adjust well or want to change. Generating new rules into an old world makes people feel like they’re losing their homes. But what if this is exactly what Christ is calling us to do and to change? 

The season of Epiphany is a chance for us to examine all of this. By reflecting on Jesus’ ministry on earth, scripture unveils for us what that Kingdom can look like “on earth as it is in heaven.” 

If you think of heaven as God’s eternal home and that we are helping to bring it to earth, then it stands to reason that Christianity should be about helping people experience home and feel ‘at home.' The church should (at least partially) be about helping people adjust to the fears that come with change and the feelings of inadequacy that emerge now that the world around us is so different. 

COVID-19 has changed everything. It displaced us from what was normal and routine. The good news, though, is that Jesus always intended for us to change. He inaugurated our new home for a reason, and he is offering directives in his teachings, miracles, and ministry for how and where we can put our time and energy. Join us for Epiphany as we examine the ministry of Jesus and think deeply about this notion of “home.” There’s something here that we need to see. God’s welcoming us into a new way of living. This Epiphany, God’s welcoming us home. 

January 16 | John 2:1-11 | Home-brewed

Jesus’ first miracle in the Gospel of John is turning water into wine. He’s at a wedding reception in Cana and the party runs out of wine, so Jesus fixes the problem by making more wine than the party needed. Multiple themes emerge within this story, none more important than Jesus brews the new idea that in God’s home, there will be abundance, not scarcity. 

January 23 | Luke 4:14-21 | Home Free 

In one of the most provocative teachings in all the gospels, Jesus stands and reads from Isaiah in the middle of a worship service. People are floored by what he says and even what he does not say. This singular moment defines his ministry better than any other text in the gospels and it is built around the fact that Jesus is ready to set people free as well as become the fulfillment of one of Israel’s most important prophecies. 

January 30 | Luke 4:21-30 | Hometown

What Jesus does in the synagogue is too much. The people cannot handle it. It is so off-putting they riot against Jesus in order to hurl him off a cliff which leads Jesus to declare, “No prophet is accepted in a prophet’s hometown.” This scripture is the underbelly of what it looks like to refuse to think deeply about the theology of home. 

February 6 | Luke 5:1-11 | Homemaking

Jesus calls his disciples to a  life that leaves their temporary home to help go and build a new one. There is so much in this text: A great teaching moment, a great catch of fish, great doubt, and a great line, “now you will fish for people.” Studying this test will help us see that we definitely make our home by walking and following Jesus. 

February 13 | Luke 6:46-49 | Homebuilt

To live a life in Christ…is to build a house on the foundation of love. I just can’t read scripture, especially today’s, any other way. We don’t build on the loose sands of what others think of us…we don’t build it on doctrinal truth or moral rightness…a life in Christ is built on the solid rock of love.

February 20 | Luke 6:27-38 | Homework (Pastor Kristen Preaching)

Just like in Matthew, Jesus launches into his Sermon on the Mount stump speech. In this text, he rattles off his “But I say to you” phrases. He touches on how we are to love our enemies and be merciful. We are not supposed to judge, and we are always to forgive. The lessons in this text prove that we have some serious homework to do. 

February 27 | Luke 9:28-36 | Homecoming

The story of the Transfiguration is out of this world, but at the same time, it is a blessing of how Jesus is making for humanity a new home. The Transfiguration reminds us all that Jesus is more than human, and his work on this earth is more than simple. He is bringing all of us “home.”