There’s a place for us…;
When I lived in Myrtleford, I sang with The Beechworth Singers, and one year we presented a concert program of selections from popular musicals. One of the songs was Somewhere from West Side Story. The words are:
There’s a place for us, Somewhere a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air Wait for us Somewhere.
There’s a time for us, Some day a time for us, Time together with time to spare, Time to look, time to care, Some day!
Somewhere. We’ll find a new way of living, We’ll find a way of forgiving Somewhere . . .
There’s a place for us, A time and place for us. Hold my hand and we’re halfway there. Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow, Some day, Somewhere!
There’s a certain longing in these words; a deep desire to belong somewhere, to have a place to call home.
One of the interesting things about being in ministry is that sometimes it’s hard to define exactly what ‘home’ means. For me, back then when I talked about ‘going home’, I usually had to clarify whether I meant going home to the Myrtleford manse, or to Sydney (where my mother lived, and where I grew up), or to Hobart (where I spent 17 years, and, until recently, owned real estate).
What does ‘home’ mean to you? If you’ve moved around a bit in your life, and have lived in a number of different places, what is the thing that defines home for you?
In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus promises his disciples (and us!) a place to belong: ‘In my father’s house there are many dwelling-places… and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.’ Jesus, who spent most of his earthly life wandering around the countryside with no place to lay his head, understood the need for security and a sense of ‘home’.
So no matter how peripatetic our life may be, or how many places we have called ‘home’ during our lifetime; there is a place for us, in the Father’s house.
Caro Field