Sermon 8
July 14, 2013
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4
My grandmother met my grandfather while he was playing the accordion at dance. His blue eyes captured her…and that was that.
Eunice Mae was young and beautiful while Oscar Gustav was very talented. After hearing a song, he could play it…and play it well. They were married and soon found that they were expecting my father.
And then World War II got in the way.
Grandpa left after devising a plan with my grandmother to let her know where he was through his letters. Of course, it was a no-no to disclose such information. But grandpa would put a subtle little dot above the letters that would spell out his location. In the screening process, nobody noticed a little dot here and there. She always knew how and where he was…and that gave her comfort.
And time went by.
When my grandfather came home to meet his son for the very first time, young Oscar Gary was 3 years old.
Can you imagine the excitement on that day? The fear, the joy, the “rightness” of that moment? I look at these pictures and am so thankful that through them we are able to share in such a very special point in history.
Grandpa brought him candy. And he hugged and kissed this little boy, this stranger, his son.
Homecomings are sweet times. But they are not always easy and often, even a bit scary. Imagine my grandfather’s thoughts on that trek home:
- How do I relate to a wife who has grown up so much without me?
- Will I even know her anymore?
- Will she love me?
- Will I love this son whom I’ve never met?
- Will he learn to love me?
- How do I even function in the world now? What will I do?
- How can I get past all of the things I saw and did during the war? Can I live with it?
- How will I support myself, a wife, and a child?
You know, the Israelites faced fears at the time of their homecoming. God used Moses to set them free to go to their home—a land of milk and honey—Canaan. The promised land. It sounded like a great idea…but in the middle of their journey they questioned their decision to leave slavery in Egypt. Not because it was a great life, but because it was familiar.
We are often afraid to leave what we know, aren’t we? To exchange the known for the unknown…even if it promises to be better.
The Bible gives us a great example of a homecoming in the story of the Prodigal Son. After demanding his inheritance, a young man squanders it all in a life of debauchery. At that point, he had to get a job. His job? Feeding pigs. And he longed to eat the food he fed them. I’m sure he had a lot of time to reflect on his choices. And he realized that his father’s servants were better off than he was. Yet, could he face his father after all of this and ask to be hired at servants’ wages? He decided to try.
And his father welcomed him home.
In fact, he sent for:
- nice, clean clothing,
- a ring to symbolize that the young man was his son and not a servant,
- and a fattened calf for a grand celebration.
The scripture reading for today came from Jeremiah and from Psalms. This scripture is about the time of exile for the Israelites. They were taken from their home in Judah and they longed to return. In fact, God promised them that they would return when He says in a verse that you may be familiar with, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Did you notice that earlier in that scripture, he also told them to carry on even if they were not “home”. Even when things were not ideal, He expected them (and he expects us) to persevere.
“Marry," he said. “Have children. Plant crops. Prosper. And Pray!”
God was telling them the same thing that Gig Jones told me through a facebook post the other day, “Bloom where you are planted.” Yes, I think that is just exactly what God expects. And God was faithful to His promise to bring them home.
As Todd and I look back, we see why we were brought here. We see how Todd’s experience prepared him for this opportunity. We see how my experience prepared me for this opportunity. We appreciate more so many of the gifts of Southwest Kansas that we simply took for granted…the dryer climate, the beauty of the huge dark sky twinkling at night, the sunrises and sunsets over the plains, the nearness of our family, and the dearness of the land.
But we, like those freed Israelites and that prodigal son and those exiled Jews and my grandfather returning home from the war, also have fears. Will “home” be the same as we remembered it from our childhoods? Will our children be happy there? Will we be welcomed back with open arms? And even… “Is this God’s will for us? What is God’s plan for my ministry out there?”
And sometimes… “Is this crazy?! What are we doing?!”
But thankfully God has reassured us over and over that it is time to go home. In fact, the latest affirmation was this song. I hadn’t heard it for years…but it came on the radio the other morning as I waited to pick up Andy at swim practice.
God sure knows how to talk to me!
Keep in mind, Todd's new employer is none other than "Southern Star".
You know, when my grandfather came back life was not always rosy. That’s a whole other sermon! And when Moses led those Israelites off to the Promised Land, he had no idea they would be lost in the wilderness for 40 years. We don’t even know what happened later to that prodigal son, but we know that the faithful brother who had stayed around to serve his father must have struggled a bit with the return of the one who had abandoned the family to serve himself. And those exiled Jews that were allowed to return to Judah…well, some of them never went back.
The fact of the matter is, we are not guaranteed a happy ending in this life. We aren’t. Nothing here, nothing, is secure.
Todd and I aren’t moving home with the expectation of a “happily ever after”…at least not in this life. We fully anticipate that there will be ups and downs. There may even be times when we question our decision to return. But that’s okay… Because we know that “home” for us here on earth is not really our “home” at all.
Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” And we are still waiting for that enduring city today.
Remember the Gospel reading? Our home is being prepared for us in a place that we can’t imagine. In fact, our earthly home doesn’t even compare to the home that God has waiting for us. It’s exciting to think about, isn’t it?
But it is also scary.
We all have a lot of questions about that future home, don’t we? In fact, some will question their decision to go “home” and never ever make it.
Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” And you DO know the way. The Bible is your roadmap…the Holy Spirit, well, he’s your Garmin! Thank goodness, because there are many times in our lives where we take a wrong turn. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just say…”You’re lost, you idiot! Figure it out yourself!” Instead, he says, “Recalculating.”
You see, even though you and I sometimes choose the long, hard road…as long as we believe, we will be led home. When God calls us home…to be home with Him...THAT, my friends, will be a homecoming.
And in the meantime, the Tyler family won’t be that far away. In fact, with the technology we have today many of you won’t feel like we’ve even left. So let’s enjoy this adventure that God has granted us by breathing us to life. Life goes on. We and our families should “Marry. Have children. Plant crops. Prosper. And Pray!”
And may we all “Bloom where we are planted.”
Father, I thank you for making this our home for the last 7 years. And I thank you for these people who have been our church family. I pray that you will guide them through this time of transition, and that it is a time of growth and excitement in the church as new ideas take form and new adventures begin. Be with them and strengthen them. And Father, also be with us as we start a new adventure. I pray for our future church in Satanta and all of the people in our new church family. We know you have plans for all of us, Lord. And we are grateful. Amen.
