When income tax was first introduced here in Canada in 1917, the new Income Tax Act ran just shy of 4000 words. It was a simple document outlining a simple law. Since then, the rules and regulations have ballooned to just over 1 million words.

The opening words of a nation’s founding document give you a clear sense of the tone and direction of that nation’s life. The Constitution of the United States famously – and very intentionally – begins with the words, ‘We the people…’ And without reading anything else in the document, one can tell that this will be a nation where the people rule supreme – this will be a land of democracy.

There’s a phrase that came into fashion in the late 1800s: “That’s the gospel truth!” This idiom was originally used centuries earlier in reference to Biblical truths. Since the 1800s, it has taken on a broader meaning to encompass all matters of indisputable truth.

Imagine that you decide you want to get in shape and lose a pound or two. You buy into a dieting program – a book or an app – and you learn all about it. You become so convinced of its merits that you join social media groups for this plan and tell everyone about it.

Have you ever been homesick? Perhaps you experienced homesickness as a child while attending a camp? Christian believers are very much a pilgrim people who find themselves homesick for heaven. As the writer to the Hebrews reminds us: ‘….here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come’ (Hebrews 13:14).