For we know that if the tent that is lour earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV).
Our reading today uses a particularly interesting image. The Apostle Paul uses the image of a “tent” to speak of our bodies. As you can see from the photo I’ve attached I may have a much different view of what my “tent” looks like. It is taken from an advertisement with the lead title being: Canvas Tent: “Classic Camping with the Tents of Yesteryear.” Since I was born in 1949 I suppose you could say that I belong in the category of “yesteryear.” I can unequivocally say that I’m not even “as good once as I was,” much less that “I’m as good as I once was.” Lots of stuff just doesn’t work as well as it did decades ago. My tent has gotten old, tattered and repaired more times than I could recount.
Someday it will cease to function at all. It will be set aside to “return to the dust from which it was made. Death does come to all of us. And, generally the closest we come to realizing our human mortality is when we see the earthly remains of someone who has passed on to eternity. The apostle Paul offers a fitting perspective on this passing. He points out that this life and body are temporary, and our whole being yearns for its permanent dwelling in heaven. When believers in Christ take their last breath, they are swallowed up by life and not death. Our camping adventure in these earthly tents is over, and we move into a new place that Jesus has prepared for us (cf. John 14:2).
Life in these tents can be as varied as the places we may have camped. My experience is that some of these places have been rich and full, and some have been barren and challenging. Mary has never enjoyed “camping.” Her retort was always that “a tent didn’t have a door that locked.” My retort was always a feeble attempt at injecting some humor into the invitation to camp, though it never worked. It is amazing how like our lives that really is. We recognize how much more we need assurance of our security as our “tent” gets older. Well, God has given us the proof of our perfect security in the Holy Spirit. As weak and insecure as we might get, God has a plan in place for changing all of that to perfection. Getting older really is just getting closer to that moment!