Coming Home
Breaking the Ice
Share about a “homecoming” in your own life or a time when you truly celebrated someone else’s returning home.
Reflection
I once heard the story of a preacher and his wife who had been driving all night to get to their destination. They stopped at an all-night Diner... and all they wanted to do was get a bite to eat and get back on the road. But they'd just given their order when an old man came to their table, pulled up a chair and sat down. Sigh. And he started asking them questions about their trip and how things were going. Then he asked the man what he did for a living.
''I'm a preacher'' the man responded.
''Really,” said the old man... ''well, I have a story to tell you.'' So, he proceeded to tell this story:
When I was born my mother wasn't married. And when I started school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn't a very nice name. I used to go off by myself both at recess and lunch time so I could get away from their insults and taunts. Saturday afternoons in town I could feel every eye burning a hole through me. They were all wondering who my REAL father was.
When I was about 12, a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me.
Just about the time I got to the door, I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me. 'Who are you, son? Whose boy, are you?' ''I felt the old weight come upon me. It was like a big, black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down, I thought.
But as the preacher looked down at me, studying my face, he smiled a big smile. 'Wait a minute,' he said, 'I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God!'
And he slapped me across the back and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.'
''That,'' the old man said, ''was the most important single sentence anyone ever said to me.'' And with that, the old man got up and left the Diner...
Then, the waitress came over to their table and asked: ''Do you know who that was?''
''No,'' they replied.
''That was Ben Hooper. He has twice been elected to be governor of Tennessee.”
Hooper probably wouldn't have been governor if that preacher hadn't seen the family resemblance. It was realizing that he was a child of God and that God was his Father that made all the difference.
Like Ben Hooper, some of us don’t know our fathers. Or, we don’t have a particularly great relationship. Some of us do have loving and kind fathers. It’s complicated! What a great gift we are given when we finally realize that we are a child of God!
You have a great inheritance... you just need to claim it and live it every day.
This past weekend, as we explored the parable of the Prodigal Son, we remembered that our real home isn’t just where you started. It’s where you’re received as a child of God! And there’s a robe, a ring, and a celebration waiting—not because you earned it, but because you are missed when you leave.
If you’ve wandered far, the Father runs toward you.
If you’re waiting for someone to come home, keep the porch light burning.
If you’re shaping a home for others—through housing, hospitality, or healing—your work matters. You are a builder of grace.
So, let’s take the Road Trip seriously. Not just as a metaphor, but as a movement. Back to God, towards one another, and out into a world that’s aching for a place to belong. Let’s be the unexpected welcome for others who offer love and kindness, even sharing, when necessary, “I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son or daughter of God!'
Let’s be home.
Wrestling with the Word
Read Luke 15:11 - 32 (Message)
- Which character in the story do you most relate to?
- The younger son headed out for a different life, perhaps in search of freedom. When do we get caught in this same mindset?
- The older son did not find any joy in his relationship with his father, only a sense of obligation. How can we fall into the same trap in our faith journey?
- The younger son had a hard time receiving forgiveness, whereas giving forgiveness challenged the older son. Can you relate to either of these feelings?
Next Steps:
- Consider a time when you were running from God? What happened to lead to your return?
- Has there been a time when you haven’t understood the free gift of grace God offers everyone? How does this story open your eyes to God’s love for all? How will you celebrate the one who was lost and now is found?
Prayer
The father offers a witness to the gift of grace. Where are you being called to offer grace in your life? Before closing in prayer, take a moment to listen to the song below by Hillsong.
Gracious God, we come before you and admit that sometimes we are the ones in need of forgiveness as well as the ones who need to offer forgiveness. Remind us that you always will welcome us home and give us a willing heart to celebrate when others return to you too. Amen.