Not Home. Come Home.
2025 Lenten Reflections
Easter Monday
Home, Coming
Illustration by Eunice Sunmie Derksen
A Home of Dreams: The Power of the Resurrection to Nurture Hope
A home is made of dreams — not just the ones we have when we sleep, but the ones God invites us to hold when we’re wide awake. The ones that imagine new futures. That believe something else is possible when suffering and obstacles and limits oppress.
In the world of Matthew 25 work — where we walk alongside the hungry, the sick, the incarcerated, the stranger — we’ve learned that true well-being isn’t just about safety or physical security. One of the clearest signs of health is whether a person can dream.
Dreaming is more than optimism. It’s agency. It’s imagination. It’s the soul’s ability to picture something different — healing, belonging, growth, meaning. But dreaming doesn’t grow in isolation. It is cultivated in the context of something deeper: home. Home is a stabilizing environment that nurtures identity, autonomy, and resilience. A true home isn’t merely where you’re protected — it’s where you’re also empowered. It’s where you are safe enough to leap and loved enough to fall and be caught.
In this way, home becomes a launchpad for the mind and heart:
It grounds a person in predictability, allowing them to venture into the unknown.
It reflects emotional stability and mirroring, helping to shape a healthy sense of self.
It serves as a buffer against toxic stress, supporting healthy decision-making and creativity.
And most critically, it gives people permission to imagine — to risk failure, to try again, to hope.
But for many vulnerable people, this kind of home is distant, if not entirely out of reach.
IWildflowers of the British Isles by Su Blakwell
The God Who Dreams: Resurrection as the Restoration of Hope
Dreaming is not a luxury in the Kingdom of God. It is central to how God designed life to be.
From the beginning, God breathes life into humanity, not to exist passively, but to create, shape, and explore. “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and steward it,” He says (Genesis 1:28). This is a call to agency. It is freedom. Partnership. Wild, holy creativity.
God designed us not only to be kept safe, but to take part in something alive.
And yet, in a world that crushes the vulnerable — that tells the orphaned teen, the hungry mother, the incarcerated father, the isolated elder: you don’t matter — dreaming is often the first casualty.
But not with God.
God does not abandon His dream for us. To a people exiled and traumatized, He declares, “I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Not just plans for survival — for flourishing. For hope. For restoration.
Even when the systems of the world nailed Jesus to a cross and sealed Him in a tomb, God had the final word. The resurrection of Christ is the ultimate validation of hope. It is the divine act of saying: Dream again.
It proclaims:
You are not defined by your worst moment.
This is not the end.
Your future still matters.
There is more — more joy, more freedom, more life.
For the at-risk teen: You are not forgotten.
For the nursing home resident: Your story is not over.
For the one behind bars: You are more than what you’ve done.
For the one in relapse: You can rise again — and again — and again.
The resurrection is not just life after death — it is life before death. It is the power of God to help us dream now. To imagine newness even when everything else has collapsed.
And for us, the Church, this is our calling:
To dream for others when they cannot.
To build scaffolding where hope can be rebuilt.
To be the home where love and safety make dreaming possible.
We may not be able to give everyone a perfect house — but we can offer a steady presence. A listening heart. A place of belonging. A little room to imagine something more.
To follow Jesus is to be a people of resurrection dreams.
So let us reflect the God who dreams.
Let us make home for the dreamless.
And let us say to the weary, the hungry, the broken:
You are safe here.
You are seen here.
You can dream again.
God’s beautiful vision is that each person might have a home of walls and beams, and a home of love and dreams, because he is the God who makes his home with us.
Thank you for joining us for Lent! Would you partner with us?
At M25i, we are entirely supported by you, and every gift you give is an investment in the lives of Anglicans who are on the frontlines of serving the most vulnerable—those who are often overlooked, forgotten, or left behind.
Here’s why giving to M25i is different:
Real, Lasting Change: We don’t just offer temporary solutions; we’re focused on building lasting change. From helping individuals recover from addiction to providing a safe place for those without a home, your gift supports ministries that change lives and restore dignity in meaningful, long-term ways.
Multiplying Your Impact: Your gift doesn’t just go toward one person, one project, or one initiative—it gets multiplied across a network of ministries in the ACNA. Through M25i, your support empowers local leaders, spreads the gospel, and strengthens a community of believers who are already doing transformative work.
A Mission That Meets People Where They Are: The work we support is not abstract or distant—it’s hands-on, personal, and compassionate. M25i partners with those who are in the trenches, offering not just material support but holistic care that addresses the mind, body, and spirit.
Faith at the Core: When you give to M25i, you’re supporting more than just a social program—you’re investing in a Kingdom mission that reflects Christ’s heart for the marginalized. Every dollar given is an extension of God’s love in action, impacting lives for eternity.
A Community of Support: You’re not just making a donation—you’re joining a movement. By giving to M25i, you become part of a growing community of people who believe that God’s love has the power to change lives, build hope, and restore the broken. Your support helps build a network of believers working together to meet urgent needs while sharing the transformative message of the Gospel.