This Sunday's sermon will be based on Psalm 84:

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

² My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

⁷ They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

⁹ Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.

I am particularly moved by the image of the sparrow and swallow finding a home near the altar of God. Even creatures we may consider small and insignificant find safety with God. What Good News! We all find a dwelling place in the house of the Lord.

Yet, the truth is, so many in our world are without the safety of a place to call home. Shouldn't all God's children have a dwelling place? A place to live in peace without fear?

How can we, as Christians, advocate for not just spiritual homes but physical homes for all the world's people? Is it possible for us ~ as a Christian community in South Burlington, VT ~ to make a difference? And, as we reflect on what it means to be welcomed into God's dwelling place, where are you most at home with God?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Your reflections are helpful to me as I prayerfully prepare Sunday's message!