Home

Jane here, continuing my guest stint as Nancy's fill in.

I have another friend named Nancy and I enjoy each one so much they sometimes get intertwined in my conversations of wisdom. So I think of them as Nancy1 (Nancy Gray) and Nancy2 (Nancy Greenfield.) I had lunch with Nancy2 last week and wanted to talk to her about Passover since she is Jewish.

But she sent me an open letter to all Christians, which was convenient for me since that meant I didn't have to write anything for my own blog yesterday. It's always interesting to talk to Nancy2 because there are so many basic ways her thinking is very different from mine but, at the same time, so much alike. I think the fundamental difference is that she was born Jewish and I was born Christian. We are each saying the same thing about the universe but using different languages to say it.

Nancy2 and her family went to Israel last summer. When I asked her what the experience was like she told me it was the most comfortable feeling; it was like going home.

In her open letter to Christians I noticed she referred to the United States as a "safe haven." But she didn't call it home. The ties to her ancestral home are so strong that it is more home to her than the country where she was born.

I'm going to a funeral today for one of the most beloved members of our church. And I know somewhere in there will be a reference to Alfred "going home."

My prayer for the congregation:

Keep us safe while we are here on earth, dear Creator. Help us to find a safe haven during our life and help us to understand people who don't feel safe and to help provide safe haven for them. When it is your time for us to leave, may we go home to eternal rest. Amen.