Home: A Place of Love and Belonging

It is devastating to live without a place to call home, whether as a child or an adult—a sanctuary filled with memories of peace, laughter, love, family, and friendship. To have a loving home is to have belonging.

Bouma-Prediger and Walsh write in their book, Beyond Homelessness, that “to be ‘home’ is to experience some place as ‘primal,’ as first, as a place to which one has a profound sense of connection, identity, and even love…” (Bouma-Prediger and Walsh, 4). When one does not have a home, one feels disoriented and lost. Homelessness, therefore, is not just about providing affordable housing or shelter from the elements—though that is vitally important. It is also, “a matter of profound and all-pervasive displacement…” (Ibid).

This blog does not aim to unpack the complex issue of homelessness, which involves numerous interconnected factors such as a lack of affordable housing, high living expenses, unresolved trauma, struggles with addiction and mental illness, unemployment, and insufficient support services for individuals and families. Rather, this reflection takes a 30,000-foot view of the importance of three essential homes: a stable physical home, a spiritual home with God through faith in Christ, and a home within a church community—foundational elements for living a meaningful and fulfilled life. These homes provide a sense of belonging, stability, purpose, and connection, each playing a pivotal role in shaping our identity and guiding us through life’s challenges.

Addressing the importance of these homes calls us to reflect on how we, as followers of Christ, can actively engage in our communities. Christians are called to pursue biblical justice and address the spiritual, emotional, and material needs of their community. While not everyone can help address physical homelessness directly, some may be called to advocate for change through government policies, work or volunteer at non-profits, support individuals on their journey to taking the appropriate next steps that leads to a home where they can flourish (e.g. Coastal Eden Team), or volunteer with local shelters and outreach programs. Others might help by providing job training and mentoring (e.g. Coastal Eden Cafe), or offering financial support to organizations and groups that empower individuals in need. Regardless of the role we play, as believers, we are called to reflect Christ’s love, pray, offer hope and point others toward their ultimate home with God in His kingdom.

Our homeless neighbors in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, or anywhere else, experience displacement daily, lacking a private and safe place to create meaningful, life-giving memories, establish roots, and nurture the sense of belonging and identity that a home provides. The materially poor, the homeless, and the stranger are the objects of God’s love and concern throughout the Bible (e.g., Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:18; Galatians 2:10). Homelessness, whether physical or spiritual, can be likened to living in exile—disconnected from the sense of belonging and security that a stable home provides. For those who experience both, the burden of dual displacement becomes even more unbearable, compounding isolation, hopelessness, and a deep sense of lost identity. As the people of God, we are called to point others to God as their ultimate place of hope and refuge, helping them feel at home within the Body of Christ and assisting them on their journey toward finding these foundational homes.

The First Home: Eden

In Genesis 2, we see God, the ultimate home-maker, creating man out of the earth in His own image. God then plants a garden and places humanity within it, a place called Eden (Genesis 2:7-8). Eden, which in Hebrew means ‘pleasure’ or ‘delight,’ was designed as a place of joy for Adam and Eve—a home where they could walk with God and create blissful memories with Him and each other. From the very beginning, humans were called, “…to continue to construct this world as our home in such a way that cares for all creatures and provides a place of secure habitation for all of its inhabitants…” (Bouma-Prediger and Walsh, 15).

However, the story takes a tragic turn. As N.T. Wright insightfully notes, “The first humans, in their rebellion, were not just breaking a rule but were rejecting the place that God had prepared for them: a place of joyful obedience and partnership with the Creator” (Wright, 68). Adam and Eve’s disobedience defiled not only themselves but also their home—and every other home that would follow (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12)—leading to their expulsion from Eden, and ultimately the expulsion of all humanity. From a place of perfect love, shalom, and security, they were cast into exile—a powerful reminder of how sin disrupts our connection to God, ourselves, others, and home.

Selah: Pause and reflect—What does this loss of ‘home’ mean for us today, and how does it shape the way we welcome others into a loving relationship with God, into our church community, and into our own homes?

Jesus: The Way Back Home

Today, the church is called to proclaim the Gospel through our being, doing, and telling. The good news is that the only way we find our way back home is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, and for God’s glory alone. This message is for all people, regardless of nation or socioeconomic status.

Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God, chose to live without a place to lay His head, experiencing exile so that we might experience a homecoming. Out of love, God the Father sent His Son, leaving the comfort of His heavenly home to dwell among sinners in exile. The Apostle John testifies, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). In the Greek, the phrase ‘dwelt among us’ conveys the idea of ‘pitching His tent,’ signifying God’s intimate presence among His people, just as He once dwelt in the tabernacle in the Old Testament.

Jesus came preaching the Gospel, calling sinners to turn from their sins, to love Him as the Word made flesh, and to keep His teachings (John 14:23). By living as a human without a physical home and far from His heavenly home (Matthew 8:20), Jesus fully entered into the reality of exile, offering His own life as the way back to God’s presence and, ultimately, to our eternal home. On the cross, Jesus—fully God and fully man, the ultimate expression of God’s love—bore the weight of our sin and exile, separated from God and others, so that through His death, we could be reconciled and brought back home to God, finding our ultimate refuge in Him.

Christians are called to live out the reality of the biblical message: Christ is reconciling all things to Himself and making all things new (Revelation 21:5). As Pastor Timothy Keller put it, “The Gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope” (Keller, The Prodigal God). This message calls us to embrace and assist the materially poor and homeless in finding both a physical and spiritual home here on earth, as a tangible sign of the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. By doing so, we reflect the hospitality of God and the promise of the eternal home that Jesus is preparing for us (John 14:2-3).

In Greek, the word most closely related to hospitality is Philoxenia: This term is made up of two Greek words—phílo (love) and xenia (stranger or guest). So, it literally means “love of strangers.” It’s the word used in the New Testament to describe the Christian virtue of hospitality, emphasizing a warm, generous, and loving approach to caring for strangers and guests. This could apply to a new neighbor who just moved in next door, a friend or even an enemy, a homeless person, a refugee, or a recently arrived immigrant.

An example is found in Romans 12:13, “Practice hospitality”, meaning to pursue or actively engage in hospitality. Therefore, hospitality is something that must be practiced intentionally and actively. It doesn’t just happen on its own; it requires planning and thoughtful consideration. True hospitality involves a sacrifice of our time, effort, finances, and comfort. This ‘love of strangers’ should lead us to intentionally reach out, whether that means inviting someone from our neighborhood into our church or home.

Selah: Pause and reflect—Are you already practicing this kind of biblical hospitality by sharing the Good News, opening your home, and serving others? Is God inviting you to new ways to be the hands and feet of Christ to those in exile and in need of one or all of the three essential homes?

Sojourners and Exiles

Even as citizens of heaven, we are sojourners and exiles on earth (1 Peter 2:11), awaiting our return to heaven, the paradise of God (Hebrews 11:13-16; Revelation 2:7). As C.S. Lewis once said, “if I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world” (Mere Christianity). Yet, our very existence as the people of God—our return home—is not just for our own benefit; it is to be of service to others (Bouma-Prediger and Walsh, 22). We are called to embody hope and hospitality, offering glimpses of God’s eternal home by helping others experience a sense of belonging and love in the here and now. This is why it is crucial for Christians to practice evangelism and radical hospitality—by opening our homes to host a life group and inviting our neighbors into our space, reflecting the truth that God has opened His arms and home to all who would receive His Son.

Opening Our Hearts and Homes

The church is a beacon of hope for those without a family, the homeless, displaced, or exiled. Many churches run their own shelters and affordable housing units, while others support Christian non-profits that provide temporary shelter, permanent housing, recovery programs, food, clothing, care, the Gospel, and caseworkers to assist the lost, last, and least.

If you have not experienced the joy of being God’s hands, feet and mouthpiece—speaking His truth and showing His love—you should ask God to empower you by His Spirit and bring you the opportunities to witness through your words and actions (Acts 1:8; James 2:15-16). Pointing people to Christ and helping them find their home in Him is a profound joy and reflects our mission as ambassadors of reconciliation. As we engage in the ministry of the Word and deed, we care for the whole person—their spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being—while pointing to the spiritual reality of our new identity and ultimate home with God: a holy people who belong to a place of delight, peace, and eternal belonging.

Let us, as God’s people, live out this calling by extending the hospitality and Gospel of Christ to all. Opening our hearts, homes and churches to people in exile. In doing so, we fulfill Jesus’ command to be a light in the world, inviting everyone to come home (Luke 15:18-24; John 14:2-3). May we be vessels of the heavenly Father’s welcome, offering a glimpse of His eternal home through our witness, love, prayer, generosity, and service. As we open our hearts, homes, and church, let us remember that in welcoming others, we reflect God’s very heart.