Home, Sweet Home
Pastor Mathew Magera – 2/17/16 – Sermon 144
St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Trufant, MI
To God be the Glory!
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the
Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge
and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:1-2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father, from our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What's the best house you've ever lived in? Maybe it's
the one you grew up in. Maybe it's the one you live in now. What do you like
about it? Is it the location? It is the neighbors? Is it the decorating? The
floorplan? Maybe the view out a certain window? Maybe some important events in
your life happened at that house. I hope I never forget the house I grew up in.
Sleeping in the hall as a child because I didn’t like my room. Playing in the
crawl space, hiding under the back deck, having a bunk bed so I could sleep on
the top and have toys on a piece of plywood on the bottom.
When I think of these questions and my favorite house,
I tend to forget about an element of my house that I might have taken for
granted because throughout all of these memories that I have of this house, what
I remember most at its foundation is having the feeling of safety. Do you feel
that at home? Do you feel safe? There is a certain pleasantness about being
home that when I’m hurt or sick or having a bad day all I want to do is go
home. It’s almost like an escape from the world, just to be home sweet home.
When we’re away from home, sometimes we can be uneasy or even scared depending
on where we are.
Where have you felt unprotected? I think the most
scared I have ever been away from home was when Lane and I went to Tanzania in
Africa as part of a seminary class and we stayed at a safari park for two
nights. I know I’ve mentioned this before and it may not sound scary on the
outside but we were in the middle of the African bush far from civilization in
glorified tents surrounded by nature and lions and elephants and hyenas and
this was something we could never have imagined. At night it was so dark you
couldn't see the hand in front of your face but the sounds of hungry predators
could not be forgotten. I felt unprotected. I mean, our emergency whistle that
was supposed to be in a pouch above our bed was missing. But, really, what is a
whistle going to do for me out there? Okay a lion approaches the tent, what am
I going to do with a whistle, blow it so hard the lion goes deaf? That'll only
make it more pleasant for the lion when it eats me, not having to worry about
hearing me scream. Anyway, I felt unsafe. I felt unprotected. It was not home
for me and I barely slept.
There's something about being home
that makes us feel safe. Then I started to wonder why. I mean, I may feel
protected in my home but if we have a tornado or something catches fire, my
safety as well as my very life may be in danger. So, why exactly do I feel safe
at home but maybe not someplace else? And if my safety at home is at risk yet I
feel comfortable there, why can't I take that feeling I have in my home with me
wherever I go?
The Psalm we read tonight makes us
ask this question on an even deeper level. It begins by saying "Whoever
dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty." This is talking about safety, the safety we have living in
God's shelter. Down further it says, "If you say, 'The Lord is my refuge,'
and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no
disaster will come near your tent." This sounds like a great place to
live. Yet, at the same time it sounds too good to be true. I have a little
trouble believing a house like this exists. There has got to be something about
those two verses there that we miss when we read them because if we are
thinking about resting in the shadow of the almighty and safety in God's
shelter, I'm left a bit confused. In fact, I even find myself a bit scared to
tell you the truth.
In my own house, I feel safe from
all that takes place outside of it but when God tells me that if I make him my
dwelling place no harm will overtake me and no disaster will come near me, I
can't help but doubt those very words and I'll tell you exactly why I feel that
way. I think the evidence is pretty clear that Christians are being persecuted
all over the world. In our own country, one man shot up people in a church down
in the Carolinas. One person shot up specifically Christians at a college out
west. Terrorists are killing Christians in all parts of the world specifically
because of their faith. The most faithful Christians are being plagued with
disease and terminal illnesses and are dying left and right just like everyone else.
I'm not exactly seeing this right hand of protection that God appears to be
promising.
In fact, I'll tell you this. Being
completely honest here. Later on this year, Lane and I will be taking a
vacation and we're going to have the opportunity to spend a day in the ancient
city of Ephesus in Turkey, where Paul preached to the Ephesians. Turkey isn't
exactly a stable country at the moment and has fallen victim to a number of
terrorist attacks recently. Some companies are stopping their tours in Ephesus for
safety reasons. As of right now our stop hasn't been cancelled but I'm honestly
a little nervous going over there, not just as an American in Turkey, but also
as a Christian.
The world has instilled fear into
Christians around the world and we are not immune to that fear and we are
certainly not immune to illness, destruction and death. So, how can it be that
God looks at us and the Psalmist can write, "for he will command his
angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will left you up in
their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." This
has to be an important verse, I mean, even Satan quoted this verse to Jesus
when he was being tempted in the wilderness. So, God, where are you? How can
you say this yet we see so many innocent followers of your Word and inhabitants
of your house falling to the ground physically, emotionally, spiritually? Where
is this “home, sweet home” you speak of?
The dictionary says that safety is
the "condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk
or injury." We don't feel safe, Lord. We do not feel safe in your arms.
But, if God says we are safe and protected in his arms yet at the same time we
don't believe it, in the end, who do you think needs to change? I'll give you a
hint, it certainly isn't God. It's us. If God says we are safe and protected in
his arms and we doubt it on any level then it is us who need to be changed.
Perhaps we then think all we need is more faith, that God is only protecting
those with great faith and our faith is failed. Don't fall into that trap.
While a deeper faith is always our goal, the quantity of our faith is not the
giver of safety and protection. We are not saved by our faith, we are saved by
grace. If we are doubting God's Word and we need to be changed, what the
problem is here is that we just can't see the grace. Where is that grace that
protects us and keeps us safe in the shelter of your arms?
In order for us to see that grace,
we need to take a step back and look at the world. And I don't mean looking the
history of our world on a timeline but actually trying to step out of time all
together. We have to remember that God is outside of time and it is easy for us
to get caught up looking for grace in the middle of current events but
sometimes we need to look for that grace outside of time. In this case, the
grace can be seen in the last verse of the Psalm. "With long life I will
satisfy him and show him my salvation." This is not an allusion to our
physical life in this world. Rather, this is God talking about eternal life. We
can't see this in the English but the idea is that this long life is
continually given and given and given and given. So, if we think of eternal
life throughout this Psalm we see that the protection that God is promising in
this particular place in Scripture is the protection from Hell. God is
protecting us from the judgment of the wicked. God is keeping us safe from the
wrath that will be poured out on the persecutors of Christians. It's future
tense. It's saying that whatever comes at us has to come through God first. We
rest in his shadow, behind him who fights for us, who saves us. It's not saying
that God isn't with us right now in the present but we won't fully be able to
see that protection until we enter into eternity with God. But it's still
there. God says it is.
We are safe in God's arms. We truly
are. And though the pestilence stalks in the darkness and plagues destroy at
midday, even though arrows may fly and bombs may explode, even though physical
harm and natural disaster devastate our lives God will deliver us, his true
followers from the spiritual dangers that will come upon the wicked. Jesus says
in John chapter 20, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can
snatch them out of my hand." This is how we can look at this Psalm and
point to Jesus as our only true security in a danger-filled world. Though it
appears our safety is in jeopardy here, our salvation is secured on the other
side. So, we should not be in fear for if we are then we are only truly worried
about losing this life and our values are misplaced. But, Jesus encourages us
to keep our eyes on heavenly things and tells us that whoever wants to save
their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for his sake will find
it." If we die in this world a believer in Christ, when we enter into the
next we will find God's protection has been over us the entire time, ever since
Christ's death on the cross. This protection is better than any protection we
have ever had, better than any house we have ever lived in. Our houses do
protect us but if a natural disaster strikes, that protection is gone. Once
something has shaken the foundation of that house causing it to fall to the
ground, it can no longer offer protection.
Being in God's house, protected by
him as our shelter and fortress does not mean that we are invincible to the
troubles of this world, but it does mean that the troubles of this world will
not crush God's promises nor will they crush us completely and we will be
protected on the day when God annihilates them. The protection that God offers
us can withstand tornadoes, fires, bombs, and the most dangerous people. And
you know what, God's protection goes everywhere with us. It is with us in our
homes. It is with us when we're driving. It is with us when we are flying. It
is with us when we're scared. It is with us when we're sick. It is with us when
we're in the hospital. It is with us when a loved one dies. It is with us
everywhere and in every circumstance. We can't say that about anything else. We
are home in God's arms because God won't let us go. We are safe and it's the
best house in which we could ever wish to live. It truly is home, sweet home. To
God be the glory, now and always. Amen.