There is a well-known expression ‘home is where the heart is’.
However, when we look at our world, very sadly, for a myriad of different reasons, this is not the experience of a great many people for whom home is not a place of love and safety, or who have no place to call home.
Just recently, a wonderfully creative piece of contemporary art has caused me to reflect afresh on ‘heart and home’, but in relation to Jesus Christ.
Although I grew up near Dorchester Abbey in Oxfordshire, I’d never visited until recently when, following several enthusiastic recommendations, I went to see a sculpture by Peter Barnes, which was there on display.
The Last Supper brings the famous scene, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1590s, of Jesus and his disciples sharing their last meal together before he is arrested and crucified, right into the 21st century.
In constructing the 450kg sculpture, the artist used around 600 recycled computer keyboards with more than 50,000 keys to produce a mosaic effect.
What really struck me was the rows of arrow keys leading to Jesus’ heart with one large central ‘home’ key surrounded by lots of other home keys.
It reminded me of the Christian belief that Jesus is with those who put their trust in him – the Bible tells us that he actually makes his home with them and in them by his Holy Spirit (John 14:23).
He promises never to leave those who love him, offering a different dimension of ‘home’ to hold on to as an anchor in challenging times.
If you would like to see the sculpture for yourself, it is now at All Saints Church, Leamington Spa until October.
The Revd Tracy Watkins from St Michael’s Tilehurst, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Reading
