Are We Home Yet?

You know the feeling – you’re in a car, truck, SUV, bus, van, plane, or train, and if there is a child around and if the trip will take more than five minutes – the question will come up: “Are we there yet? How much longer?”

A friend of mine, a long-time youth pastor, had a good solution: He would tell them how long the trip would take before they started, but every time someone asked, “How much longer?” His answer was “Twenty minutes.” All the adults he worked with would give the same answer, “Twenty minutes.” I think that’s a great way to deal with the frustration, at least from an adult perspective.

But the question still comes up, even when we go far past our teenage years. How much longer until I’m the person I want to become? How much longer until I can retire? How much longer do I have on earth? Am I home yet – no, not in my home on earth, but in my forever home? As we begin to lay out everything to get ready for Homecoming, I think it’s a valuable question to ask. What does it mean to go home? Does our church, our faith, our community, tell us anything about home?

The idea of “homecoming” as a church body is that we have been the spiritual home or birthplace of many people through the years, and homecoming is a time to celebrate and remember how we have been home for people. And the idea isn’t just an American idea – the British also have a homecoming Sunday every year – they call it “mothering day,” as in going back to your mother church, the community that was your mother in faith.

But I think homecoming is more than that, as important as it is to remember, regather, and reflect. Homecoming is actually a reminder that our destination isn’t just a church family on earth, but a reminder that we have an incredibly wide and deep home we all hope to get to. Whether we call it heaven, the new creation, the city of God, or just being with Jesus in eternity – we actually don’t belong to earth – our origin and destination is the One who made the heavens and the earth.

So, the next time you ask those deep questions about who we are, where we are going, and what the point of it all is, remember that Homecoming is more than an event – it is preparation for eternal life that begins right now. And yes, please do invite friends, family, and those who were part of our church before, but who have moved elsewhere. Remind them that if they cannot physically come, they can join us online, and if they have passed from this life, they are no longer members of our church, but members of the church Triumphant and Eternal, and we will see them again!

And yes, I’ll give you a breakdown of what we’re doing in another article, but for now, get excited about Homecoming, and invite the people you love to be part of it! Thank you for being part of our church family and our eternal family as well!