Day 62 | Cameron Garrett

Yesterday was the fourth of July. I spent the day among friends I love, laughing and communing over food and sugary drinks, some of us hanging out on hammocks suspended in space between syrupy trees, all of us it seemed at home. Austin and Ty conquered the roof; Zak presided over the grill and Hannah made the fourth, the fourth; Gabi was feeling herself; Joel forged bonds through games and Troi played Karina in an attempt to win one; Sydney elbowed her way to football victory and Derrick dropped by though he had a plane to catch; all of us it seemed at home. I know I was home. I know I am home.

I feel deep blessing in that knowledge. I’ve prayed for Home for a long time. To see it and know it is to be witness to God in a powerful way. It makes me want to sing and cry.

It makes me feel the way I imagine Chance the Rapper feels when he performs. Chance’s performances are a witness – a testimony – to an overwhelming glory; they reflect a Light and a Vision that inspire secular music critics to claim that he brought his whole audience “to church.”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5bjlf5

The first song Chance performs – “How Great” – is a celebration of God’s Grace in Homecoming. In the second verse, Chance speaks of being lost in a wilderness like the wilderness of the Israelites:

“I was lost in the jungle like Simba after the death of Mufasa
No hog, no meerkat, hakuna matata by day
But I spent my night time fighting tears back
I prayed and prayed and left messages
But never got no hear back, or so it seemed”

Chance ends that particular verse with “or so it seemed” because “a mustard seed was all [he] needed to sow a dream.” That is, Chance’s faith brought him home. His prayers were received and he was thus witness to a Light that incites his soul to sing out in the chorus: “How great is our God!”

Look closely at “How Great” in its entirety and you’ll find a striking similarity to Psalm 108:

“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above all the heavens;
Let your glory be all over the world.” (108:3-5)

Homecoming is an overwhelming gift. I believe that it happens where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus – which is Love. Love shared among brothers and sisters is Home. And one of the more beautiful things about life is that there is always another step to take in the direction of Love. Friends whom I love: walk with Faith towards Love.

As I was writing this reflection, I got a text from a friend. A few of us ended the fourth of July at his house. Together, we lit sparklers on the porch under the moon. My friend thanked me for coming over. He ended his text with, “The house is starting to feel very homey.”