Coming Home

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 11th of September, 2022, Homecoming Sunday at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Our Lord Jesus’ ministry on this earth lasted only three years before He left us to go back to His heavenly home with His Father God.  During those three short years, He taught the people, both by His words and through His actions.  His actions included healing all manner of illnesses, curing folks of their diseases and disabilities, restoring sight and hearing and speech, even raising people from the dead.  In this He taught that He was not just an ordinary man, but a divine being sent from God, for no ordinary – or even extraordinary - man could do what Jesus did.

And Jesus taught with His words.  His best lessons were presented using word pictures.  Jesus spoke to the people in words they could understand, using examples they could relate to.  He told stories of farming and shepherding and fishing – occupations the people knew.  He told parables, because He knew even His closest disciples would have trouble understanding the truth of heaven and the ways of God.

One of those stories was about coming home.  He painted a word picture of a homecoming on earth, to illustrate our future homecoming in heaven.  Please listen and follow along to the words of Jesus as recorded by the Apostle Luke in chapter 15 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 32, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

--Luke 15:11-32 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for the promise of welcoming us home with open arms.  Even though we have sinned and not obeyed You as we should, even though we may not have used our lives as You would have had us do, You will still welcome us as Your children because of our faith and our acceptance of Your Son Jesus as our Lord.  Thank You, loving Father, for being so merciful.  Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to live in a manner pleasing to You.  Forgive us when we hesitate to give of ourselves in Your service.  Please help us be better sons and daughters.  Remind us that we are Yours and that we owe everything to You.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who carry out his evil works.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us the true meaning of the words Jesus spoke.  Give us just a glimpse of the home that awaits us.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Award-winning writer, filmmaker, travel guide and storyteller Phil Cousineau has looked at the joys and challenges of going home.  Are you familiar with the epic poem the “Odyssey” written by the ancient Greek poet Homer?  Cousineau tells us that the “Odyssey” is a story "about the awakening of a man who has not quite appreciated his wife, Penelope, and who has upset the gods who are wreaking havoc on his effort to get home again.  After his time with Circe, Odysseus goes down into the underworld to find Tiresias, the sage, who tells him: You can get home again but you will have to suffer.  The gods will make it difficult for you to do this. You will have to curb your desires and the desires of the men in your crew.  This is the psychological insight:  It’s your desires that have kept you from getting home again."

The “Odyssey” takes place just after the Trojan War, which lasted ten years.  Homer memorialized some of the heroes and exploits of that war in his other famous poem, the “Iliad”.  But in the “Odyssey”, Homer dwells on the trials of Odysseus as he struggles to make his way back home after the war, a journey that takes another 10 years.

One of the main themes in this story is homecoming, and in this case, how difficult it can sometimes be to make it home again.  Native North Carolinian, Thomas Wolfe, wrote a book titled, You Can’t Go Home Again, explaining that the home we find won’t be the home we remember.  Odysseus did finally make it home, and enjoyed a good homecoming, but his desires and lusts for the things of this world made that journey home a very difficult one.

Do our worldly desires make it difficult for us to look forward to going home?  Does our grasp of this world and all its charms result in our fear of death?  Family, this earthly tent must be destroyed before we can be given a new, permanent, heavenly one.

So we all know the story of the prodigal son.  And actually, we still see it played out today, especially in American society.  We have a lad who is too bored with the status quo.  The farm (or the factory or school or whatever he is supposed to be working at) holds no attraction.  He wants to go out and experience what the world has to offer.  So he hits up Dad for his share of the family inheritance and heads off to do just that.  And as do most people who suddenly come into wealth, he quickly burns through all the money and resources he was given.  He wasted it all on human, earthly pleasures.

Did you know that “prodigal” means “wasteful”?  The prodigal son wasted away everything.  Everything but the love of his father, that is.  When he finally saw the error of his ways and desperation set in, he returned home, expecting the worst, hoping to just be treated as one of the servants and given food and a decent place to rest.  Instead, he was greeted like a returning prince.  His father’s love had not diminished one iota.

Odysseus enjoyed a successful homecoming, and so did the prodigal son.  And I think it fair to say that both men let their earthly desires get in the way of coming home.  In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus is eventually reunited with his wife, Penelope.  In the parable of the prodigal son, the son is reunited with his loving father, who forgives and forgets everything the son has done.  They both made it home.

Family, our homecoming awaits us.  We not only have a new body to look forward to, but also a new place to live, something far different and better than this world we inhabit today.  Please listen to what Jesus tells us, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, in chapter 14, verses 1 through 4 and 19 through 24…

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

--John 14:1-4, 19-24 (NKJV)

If we love Jesus, we will keep His word and His Father will love us, too.  His Father will adopt us and become our Father.  This is what happened when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Master.  And they have a very special place ready and waiting for us for when Jesus returns to this earthly realm and calls His church home.

Family, we are prodigal sons and daughters.  We have all, at some time or another, wasted part of this wonderful life God has given us.  We’ve wasted opportunities to reach out to others, to serve our Lord by giving fully of ourselves. We’ve been mesmerized and drawn by the pretty, shiny, sparkling things of this world, pulled away from the things of heaven that really matter.

But our Father loves us.  He will still welcome us home when it is our time because we have accepted His Son as our Lord.  He will greet us with a broad smile, take us into His arms, and have a great feast prepared for us.  And He will say, “Welcome home, My child.”  Welcome home.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for a glimpse into what You have in store for us.  You promise that all who believe in Jesus as Your Son, Your Christ, and who follow His voice will be saved from eternal death and punishment.  And we believe, Lord; we believe.  Thank You, Father, for Your love and mercy.  Father, too often we fear what the future might hold.  We think of this world as our home and we set our anchor here.  We love You and believe You but sometimes we’re just afraid to let go.  Forgive us, Father, when we don’t put all our faith and trust in You.  Forgive us when we just can't loosen our grasp on the world, when we refuse to let go of earthly things that bring us pleasure.  Please, loving Father, help us remember that You love us no matter what we do.  Keep reminding us that our home is with You and Jesus, not here on this earth.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You told beautiful stories that the people could relate to so that they could better understand the things of heaven.  Thank You, Lord, for sharing these stories with us today.  Sometimes, though, we need a little help grasping the full meaning because our times and our ways are so different.  Please, Lord, help us see the pictures You painted with those words You spoke to the people.  Forgive us when we hesitate to let go of the things of this world.  Forgive us when we fail to give the things of heaven our top priority.  Guide us through this life as You guided Your disciples, so that we might better do our Father’s will.  Remind us that our true home is in heaven with You, and not on this earth.  And Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.