Homecoming -- February 22, 2013

home-com-ing   [hohm-kuhm-ing]

noun

1.  a return to one's home; arrival at home.

2.  an annual event held by a college, university, or high school for visiting alumni.

-per Dictionary.com

Have you ever participated in a Homecoming at your alma mater?

You go back to campus and see what's the same and what's changed.  You may run into some friends you haven't seen for a long time.  You catch up with how their lives have progressed.

You show your kids your classrooms.  They roll their eyes.

You remember fondly all the great times you had.

But it's not the same.

As much as you would like to go back in time and enjoy those days, they are gone.

I'm not trying to be somber.  It's just that in 89 days, I will celebrate (or mourn) the fact that I will have been graduated from Bama for 20 years.

And as much fun as I have going back to campus for football games, basketball games, and gymnastics meets, it's different.

I wouldn't change my life now for what I had then.  The experiences I had helped shape me into the man I am now.

When the Jews were released from Babylon and went back to Jerusalem, they were ecstatic.  Until they saw how bad Jerusalem looked.  It was a bittersweet homecoming for those who remembered what the city looked like in its prime.

This Sunday at 9:50 a.m., we will see what those who returned were faced with.

The outline of Session 13 called "The Return" goes like this:

1.  God's people rejoiced in their return from exile yet longed for full restoration (Ezra 3:10-13).
2.  God's people lived in light of the promise of God's presence and peace (Zechariah 8:1-8).
3.  God's people looked to the kingdom that would reconcile us to God and others (Malachi 4:4-6).

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

"Be absolutely clear about who you are and what you stand for. Refuse to compromise." -- Brian Tracy