Today we celebrate homecoming. For many of you it is a coming home. I am happy and ecstatic that I have the opportunity today to share with you a little from my heart. I want to share with you what I feel homecoming is really about. So my title for today’s sermon is, “There’s no place like home.”
How many of you have ever been to a fun house? One where they have all the funny mirrors that show you in all kinds of messed up proportions. When you look in those types of mirrors many of us see something we don’t like and some of us see things that we do. However, we all know that they simply do not reflect back the truth. It is my opinion however, that many of us would rather believe what the mirror tells us than to look at a true reflection of ourselves. Some mornings I wake up and I say man, I don’t want to look in the mirror I know it will just be me. God, don’t make me go in there, I really am scared of what I see. Or God at least make the power go off so it’ll be dark, because you know people that build houses (Ronnie) they don’t help at all. The first thing they do when they put a mirror up in the bathroom is put a fourteen million watt light up above, just to make sure I see every little detail. So today, even though it might be a little painful, we’re going in there, we’re going to turn the lights on, and we’re going to look.
Have any of you ever compared yourselves with people in the bible? You kind of look at their life and you see a little of yourself, and then you keep reading to find out how the story turned out. I for instance have often compared my life with that of Peter’s. Peters? Paul’s? Mary’s? Hey I think we just formed a band. Well today, were going to share a story of a biblical character that we all can relate to and that’s the prodigal son.
Turn with me if you will to Luke chapter fifteen starting with verse eleven and ending with verse thirty-two.
The young man left home. He left the safety and security of what was certain and found hunger, pain, humiliation, loneliness. Think of all the friends that he had gathered, as long as he had plenty of money. After the money left the friends weren’t far behind. Some people are that way you know. There your best friend in the world as long as they’re getting something out of the deal. As long as you keep giving they will keep on taking. But as soon as something happens they are gone. So he blew it all and then all his “friends” left him.
So then the boy was in need. So he hired himself out to a citizen of that country. You see he made a mistake there. He was hungry so he went and spent some quality time with the pigs. I can see him thinking now. Something is not right in my life. I feel hungry for something, so I’ll go see what the pigs have to offer. Understand this folks, when you feel hungry for something in your life, you don’t look to the pigs you look to the head chef.
This is where our mirror comes into play. We look in the mirror and see a little crow’s foot or a small wrinkle and blemish, and we say to ourselves. We say, I’m not happy with my life, I’m not happy with my job, I’m not happy with my self, What do you thing Pigs? I know just what will work. If I just had some pig cream, it would be okay. Hear this one statement. Your self-worth is not based on what other people tell you about yourself.
Let’s look at verse 17, “When he came to his senses...” DUH!!!
When he had reached the lowest most pitiful point in his life it was at that moment that, he said, I have a Father that cares for me. I have someone who would at least make me one of his hired men.
Let’s look at the story of someone else. She realized she was at a low point and just wanted to get home. SHOW CLIP- Where she is locked in the witches castle and can’t get out. You see Dorothy had already selfishly ran away too. She reached the lowest part in her life, and then she wished that she could just go home.
So what happened to the young man in our story. Started off he was just selfish, he wanted what he could get and he wanted it now. However, he soon found out that his life just wasn’t very good since he had left home. So when he hit bottom and realized that he was in dire need, v.20 tells us, “So he got up and went to his father.” Did his father punish him? NO. He accepted him with open arms. Because he was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found.”
Dorothy was kind of in the same predicament wasn’t she? She had run away from home. She hit bottom. Then she just wanted to get home. Well as many of you know she did make it home and this is what happened.-Show clip where she is took back home and welcomed until she says, “There’s no place like home.”
I wonder how many of you today can look in the mirror and see yourself as a prodigal or as a Dorothy. How many of you can look in the spiritual mirror, and see somebody who has just been selfishly running away. Do you see in yourself somebody who is just sitting in the pigpen watching the pigs eats? Do you feel like you’re just locked up in the castle and you can’t get home? Have you hit the bottom yet? Then do what the prodigal son did. Get up, shake the mud off, and go home to your father. For you see God wants you to come home today. What better day to come home than on homecoming. Don’t just sit there in the mud, God has a vast ocean that you can swim in forever.
