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Yo!
Have you ever experienced homesickness? Perhaps it might have been when you went overseas for an exchange program or a school trip, and you reminisced that familiarity and comfort of home. What did that yearning or longing feel like?
Consider this, then: do we yearn for our heavenly home?
We know by rote how we are supposed to be "in but not of" the world – but do we have that longing to be back where we truly belong, in the actual dwelling place of God (Psa 84:1–2)? Do we agree with Paul when he says that "to die is gain" (Phil 1:21)? Do we "groan" with a desire to be in our heavenly dwelling (2 Cor 5:2)?
If you yearn for your physical home when you are overseas, think of how much more we should yearn for our real home, which is infinitely better than any place on earth! Rev 21:4 promises that there is no more suffering and no more sorrow. And what's more, we get to spend eternity with God! How amazing that would be!
If you were at Retreat, you might have caught a glimpse of heaven – people worshipping with authenticity, restoration and reconciliation, and most of all God's tangible presence. But this was merely a fraction of a sliver of heaven – imagine how much more wonderful heaven will be like! What more could we yearn for?
– alvin(:
In this article, Jan Winebrenner expounds on the craving that we should have towards our heavenly home, taking us through a synoptic overview spanning David and Paul to Blaise Pascal and C. S. Lewis. It's a very broad (albeit somewhat long) read that would give fantastic perspective on our notion of home, and what it means to have nostalgia for it.
Bethel Music – Seas of Crimson
If you think about it, artists and creatives are just about the only professions that would be needed in heaven, because we would have perfect knowledge and new bodies, so we would no longer require teaching or healing. This video is a beautiful example of artistic expression apart from the music that we are used to, and perhaps it will encourage you to develop your creative juices in preparation for the days when we will use them as manners of worship in heaven.
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CityAlight – Home
CityAlight is a team of songwriters and musicians from St Paul's Castle Hill with a characteristically nu-grass sound carried by a motley of of mandolins and banjos alongside the traditional guitars and keyboards. Their debut album, Yours Alone, is a collection of these highly singable songs, and my favourite thing about the album is that you can clearly hear the congregation singing together at the top of their lungs, especially in "Home", where you can hear them joyfully cheer "Yes!" about running towards home. Also on this album is "The Love of the Father", a high-spirited anthem that you might find familiar if you went for Retreat.
Also by CityAlight: The Love of the Father, Jerusalem
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Strahan – Home
"We are all posters here. Makeshift images of perfection. Hope’s advertisements, worn with frayed edges and waning shades of red. It is the Psalmist who reminds us that we are still works of art." This is the heartbeat behind Posters, the debut album from New Zealander Strahan Coleman, known mononymously as Strahan. His music is flooded with vivid imagery and poetry, and "Home" shows just that, as its lyrics speak about life found in God's presence. Its raw acoustic sound and densely layered vocals are characteristic of his music, and they convey a deep sense of intimacy and honesty that few other artists deliver.
Also by Strahan: Deliverance, Feel the Night
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As we remember how God revealed His presence so strongly during Retreat, I hope that we also keep in mind a vision of eternity and of perfection, because it is this vision that will keep us running the race towards the prize that is God Himself.
Over and out!
P.S.: All the past issues of Euphor!a can be found here!
EUPHOR!A // ISSUE 09 // MAY–JUN 2016