Dad's Coming Home--Mom's In The Kitchen!" John ...

“Dad’s Coming Home--Mom’s in the Kitchen!” John 16: 1-16 Key verse(s): 7: “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Growing up, one thing that I always was pretty sure of was that a day would seldom go by when I did not live in the presence of my parents. My mother was there for us in the morning when we awoke and we saw her gentle face again at night when we went to bed. Since, with the exception of a brief time when my dad was out of work, she did not work outside of the home, we could always count on her presence somewhere nearby. My dad’s employment did not take him far from home nor did it involve travel that would take him out-of-town. Waiting for him to come home was a daily vigil and supper, that most glorious repast of the day for a little boy, was dependent on his presence. Vacations were also a family affair; so even these times of recreation found us gathered together. My parents seldom if ever took vacations apart from us children. However, there was one occasion where that could not be avoided. My father had won a trip as a premium through his job as an insurance salesman and that trip was designed for two, not eight.

For us children this was a traumatic time in some respects. First, mom would not be there in the morning to wake us up and she certainly wouldn’t be there to cook dinner. There was little point in keeping vigil at the door waiting for the man whose very name spelled “supper”. That wouldn’t be happening either. Like little puppy dogs we watched as they packed their suitcases and checked their tickets. They assured us that even though they would be hundreds of miles away, we should not be afraid. Grammie was coming to stay with us. Grammie, my maternal grandmother, was a short little woman with thick glasses who liked to give us quarters when we visited her. I can still remember the feeling when she walked through the front door to greet us children. Our parents may be leaving, but Grammie was coming. That was a great comfort to us. Even though we longed to be with them, just having Grammie there made it easier. In a sense, whenever we looked at her as she busied herself around the kitchen, we saw a picture of mom.

No matter how alone we might feel in life, we are truly never alone. As I saw a reflection of my mom working in the kitchen even though she was far away, so each of us sees a reflection in the person of the Holy Spirit of the One who loves us even more than our mother, Jesus Christ. We may be separated as Heaven is from Earth, but as long as the Comforter is opening the door of our heart, making himself busy in the kitchen of our lives, we need never feel lonely for our Savior. With the Comforter in our lives, it’s like dad’s coming home and mom’s in the kitchen. Supper is served!