We know Hebrews 11 as the Hall of Fame of Faith because of the faithful people who are listed and described. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

If you know me well, you know I love to travel. Maybe it’s because we never went further than the next county when I was a child, and that’s not an exaggeration.  Now my husband says my middle name is “Go.” I guess that’s why I loved the theme of “journey” in the Songs of Ascent that we have just finished.

One likely reason I also enjoy travel is because I have never had to permanently leave my home. As much as I love to travel, I also love to come home. But what about travelers who do not have a home to return to? I think about many travelers in the Bible who were called, or forced, to travel, and what that must have been like.

• Abraham’s people lived in Ur of the Chaldees, but God said, this is not your home. You must travel to a land I will give to you. “So, Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (Genesis 12:4-5).

• After Jacob and his family went to Egypt to find food during a famine, they and their descendants ended up living in Egypt for 400 years.  Then God said, this is not your home. You must return to the Promised Land. And He raised up a leader, Moses, to lead them back home to the Promised Land. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22).

• Years later after being defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, Jews were transported in waves from Judah, exiled to Babylon. And seventy years later they returned to Judah under the leadership of Ezra to rebuild the temple and reclaim their home. “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

• Jesus traveled quite a bit, even before the age of three. Joseph and Mary traveled from their home to Bethlehem at the command of Herod to be taxed (and to fulfil the prophecy). They then escaped to Egypt, and later returned to Nazareth to make their home.

The reason the metaphor of travel is useful is to convey the message that none of us are standing still. We are moving—forward, backward, or side to side, but we are moving. Every step we take without the leadership of Christ is a step backward, even if it seems to be forward, because we are moving away from Him. We absolutely know that we will not live forever, and we know that when we die, we have a destination.  As much as we may love our life, we as believers know that this world is not our home. We are “marching to Zion.” And sometimes these days it is a relief to know that this world is not our home, right?

The following is a great story. I have seen it several times, and this one is quoted from Jill Briscoe’s website:

I heard a true story about an elderly missionary couple who had spent their entire adult lives on the mission field.  They had paid a heavy price with regard to their health and their family, but they stayed the course.  The time came for retirement.  It was in the days when missionaries went away and returned by boat.

When they had left England at the beginning of their missionary career, the platform at Euston Station had been packed with friends and church people, who gave them a grand send-off.  A band played hymns and the group of believers prayed and sent them on their way with flags flying.  It was a fabulous memory.  Now they were sailing home after a lifetime of faithful work.

There was a celebrity on board, and when the boat came into the harbor, they could see that the dockside was crowded with people.  Banners were flying, and the band was playing.  They watched as the gangplank was lowered, searching the crowd for the mission welcoming committee.  The celebrity was welcomed with due pomp and circumstance, and then it was over, and the rest of the passenger’s began to disembark.  Still the two old servants of the Lord searched the dock.  They didn’t see one familiar face.

Unfortunately, the dates had gotten mixed up, and the reception had been mistakenly set for the following day.  Of course, the two old-timers had no way of knowing this.  So there they were, standing alone on the dockside with their trunks and all their worldly goods.  They sat on their trunks and cried.  They had come home to this?  As they sat there holding onto each other, bewildered and hurt beyond measure, the husband said, “Let’s be quiet and try to hear what God is saying.”  So they held each other right and stood in the Lord’s presence on the quayside, oblivious of the activity around them.  The old man opened his eyes, and they were shining.  “Darling,” he said, “God spoke to me.  He told me, ‘You’re not home yet.’”

They began to laugh—a great, glad, joy-laugh.  It wasn’t over yet.  There was still time to serve the Lord.  There were people to encourage and candidates to train and send out in their place.  One day the band would be out, and the Lord would be on the quayside of heaven to welcome them home—but not yet, and not now.  They picked up their things and set off for the train station, light of heart, to finish their journey to the village where they would live.

Some take-aways:

1. We are not home yet, so let’s keep working for the Kingdom, until the King brings us home. Let’s not get too comfortable here. Keep your lamps lit and be ready. (Matthew 25:1-13).
2. As good as it is here, or as bad, this is only a temporary.  Rick Warren says life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment. And eternal life with our Father in Heaven will more glorious than any of us could ever imagine. It’s what we look forward to as we faithfully journey toward our heavenly home.

“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 (The Message)

In Christ,

Judy