Krazy Kinfolk: A place to Call Home

We all desire a place to call home, but what is home? I hope that home is more than the place where a bunch of people that are related reside – that could just as easily become a half-way house for Krazy Kinfolk.

Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her."
But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me GOD—not even death itself is going to come between us!"
When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was soon buzzing: "Is this really our Naomi? And after all this time!" Ruth 1:15-18 The Message

Ruth had married into the family and Naomi was her Mother-in-law. Naomi lost her husband and then tragically Ruth lost her husband. Suddenly, both women were widows. Naomi determined that the best course of action was to return to their original family and homes, but Ruth declares that she will instead go with Naomi to the place she calls home. Apparently life with Naomi was more home than any place where she might live or might have lived before.

During the process of moving my family back to Indiana in 2006, we actually lived in Oregon, Minnesota, and Indiana in a matter of 6 weeks. Interestingly enough each of these homes was in close proximity to train tracks. In each of these places you could hear the train whistle late at night. The sound of the train whistle was something familiar amidst all of the strange surroundings. However, I also remember waking up to a train whistle in the middle of the night and for a moment not knowing where I was? For us Oregon, Minnesota, and now Indiana (Indy and Hagerstown) are home to us.

Have you ever had one of those kind of moments? Where the surroundings are so strange that you are not sure you are in the right place. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, shortly after landing in Oz Dorothy says to her dog, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!” Dorothy discovers in the strange surroundings what really matters when it comes to calling a place home. What are those things that make a place a home? How do you make any place a home? How do you enter a place of strange surroundings and make it your own?

People often ask Sherry and I, “How can you think of those places (Oregon or Minnesota) still as home?”

I often reply by asking, “How is any place home?”

Allow me to illustrate with a story:

Growing up one of my closest friends was a guy named Paul. Paul was older than I was and already had his driver’s license. That was a big plus! But we also shared a love for golf and video games. From the beginning of high school golf season, Paul was a constant fixture in our driveway. He was either picking me up or dropping me off everyday. Everyday I would invite him in to the house. I would invite him to dinner. The answer was always the same – “No thanks”. The answer slowly changed to – “What’s for dinner?” and depending on my answer, Paul might stay. At times Paul would even come into the house and wait for me, as quite often I wasn’t quite ready.

I don’t remember the sequence of events that led to the dramatic change, but I remember the specific day when Paul was coming over to pick me up as usual. On this day, he actually drove his car right into the open garage and then walked right in the house without knocking. He walked right past my Mom, with a casual, “Hi Mom,” and went straight to the refrigerator.

There he grabbed a Coke, popped the top, and returned to the family room. I think my Mom must have had the strangest of looks she ever had because when Paul walked back into the room he just looked at her and said, “What?!” My mom and I couldn’t help but laugh. Paul was finally at home in our house!

Here’s my points: Home is where you are secure and safe.
Home is where you can be yourself.
Home is where you commit to being involved and staying involved in spite of circumstances.
It is the love and acceptance you receive and give that makes a place a home.

All of that was true for Paul.

I believe all of that was true for Ruth.

And it was true for me and my family in Oregon, Minnesota, and now in Hagerstown.

When you think of home as only brick and mortar, home becomes “where you hang your hat." But I believe home is better described as the spot where you place your heart.

The Bible teaches us that we are strangers in this world - travelers in this world that God has made. We are to call it “home" for now – “hang our hats” in this place. Amidst strange surroundings and Krazy Kinfolk and other folks as well, we can be very much “at home" by hanging our hearts.

Hagerstown is a place where we remember being safe and secure.
Hagerstown is a place where we learned to be ourselves.
Hagerstown is where so many of us remain committed and involved in spite of the difficulties and the circumstances.

My hope is that First Church is a place like that as well.
A place where you are safe and secure.
A place where you can be yourself.
A place where you can commit to being involved.
A place where you can experience love and acceptance.

A church is really no different than your own home.
You must make a commitment to truly be at home.
Home is where you are secure and safe.
Home is where you can be yourself.
Home is where you commit to being involved and staying involved in spite of circumstances.
Home is the love you have for others and the love you receive that makes a place a home.

So in your home, your community, your church, have you hung your “hat” or your “heart”? Have you whole heartedly committed yourself? Or are you just occupying space?

I pray that you have a place you can call home - a place where you can hang your “hat” and your “heart”.