In a fine movie of Dickens' Nicholas Nickelby the title character rescues a crippled boy named Smike who is being beaten in an orphanage. They leave together. One night they take refuge in a hay loft. Sitting before an open window with the star-filled sky behind them, Nicholas tells Smike that he will help him find his home, about which Smike has only a vague memory. He says quietly to Nicholas, "You are my home." Nicholas does take care of him until Smike dies.
The scene has stayed with me and surprisingly has enriched my understanding of my relationship with God. God is our home. God has rescued us and holds us close. God lives in us and we in God, truly our Home.
I think of this when I read the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) who has left home, wasted everything, and returns home. Jesus says, "While he was still a long way off his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion." His father is his home. That's where the son finds unearned love. The father welcomes him home without setting any conditions. God is gracious Love.
We sing a hymn with a refrain in which God assures us, "I will bring you home. I love you and you are mine."
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