Homecoming 2018 In 1892, William J. Kirkpatrick wrote a hymn that was inspired by the story of the prodigal son. We remember the story of the son who received his portion of his father s estate and quickly wasted it on loose living. We find this story in the 15 th chapter of Luke. In the 18 th verse, he comes to his senses and says: I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; (Luke 15:18-19 NASB) Kirkpatrick s song is Lord, I m Coming Home and the first verse is: I ve wandered far away from God, Now I m coming home; The paths of sin too long I ve trod, Lord, I m coming home. There is always something peaceful and reassuring about coming home. Home is always the basis by which we measure everywhere else we may roam. It is the epicenter for our existence. Coming home is not always due to unpleasant times or circumstance, like we see in Luke s account of the prodigal son. We often return home to renew and recharge. We draw from the source of our very existence and renew our memories, relive our past, but most of all find a peace that we cannot find anywhere else. We, like the prodigal son, realize the we need to return home. Against this backdrop, we welcome everyone to the celebration of our Homecoming. Today is a day to celebrate, so what does celebration mean? 1
According to the dictionary, celebration in the noun form of the word celebrate. It is defined as follows: 1) to observe a holiday, perform a religious ceremony, or take part in a festival 2) to observe a notable occasion with festivities-- to honor (as a holiday) esp. by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business: to mark (as an anniversary) by festivities or other deviation from routine. Many of you have all gathered here today to remember old times and to see people whom you have not seen in a while. The most important thing we need to remember is we are in Gods house. A house where we should always feel welcome, a place we should always be able to be our self, a place where we can meet God. See Homecoming is a special time for all of us to feel the peace we had when we accepted God s salvation. It is a time to rekindle a fire, or a time to reenergize our batteries. My prayer today is that anyone who does not know the love, joy and peace of the Jesus, will, like many of us come to know the peace of that relationship. My prayer is that someone finds their way home, that someone receives the gift of the Spirit, that someone starts their own memory here at Bath Christian Church. This is a celebration and a time to rejoice over the love, grace and mercy we have found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For our message today, we will consider Psalm 95:1-7. If you wish to follow along, please turn to the 95 th Psalm as we read. O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving (or with a song of 2
thanksgiving), Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms (or songs with instrumental accompaniment). For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear (or O that you may obey) His voice (Psalm 95:1-7 NASB) This is clearly a call to celebrate and worship. The very first verse calls for us to sing for joy. If we look at the original Hebrew text, we learn the word translated sing can and often is translated shout and the word translated joy refers to jumping for joy or rejoicing. For the most part, we have been able to suppress this urge so we won t upset the other people sitting near us. However, as we come into God s house, it should be with the spirit of celebration. We come to Him and celebrate the solid foundation that we have in Him. He is our salvation and the very basis for our joy. In the second verse, we see an invitation to enter God s presence. In the first verse we are invited with the phrase: O come meaning to travel or walk toward. Now in 3
the second verse the phrase: Let us come is speaking of entrance into the temple. As we assemble here this morning, we need to remember that we have entered into God s house to be in His presence. Just think on this and look around. We are in the presence of God! We are here to celebrate and to shout joyfully! What is the reason for our celebration? For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods. Our God, Jehovah, Yahweh, is declared the King over all other gods. He is the only the one and only God. And if you believe there are other gods, He is over them too. If you believe there is no god, we will speak to you in just a moment. What makes Jehovah God so great? The psalmist answers as we continue through this psalm. We are told that God has everything in His hands. (Remember that song from several years back?) In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. For those who refuse to believe in God, let me ask you: Where did the matter that was spewed across the universe during the Big Bang originate? What caused that bang? What force or design allowed the chaos of the explosion so order itself that we have predictable obits and pathways thorough the universe? Without God, you are left with more questions than answers. Because God is the architect, planner, and builder of the universe, we are to praise Him. We are to celebrate as we come in His presence. 4
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear (or O that you may obey) His voice (Psalm 95:7 NASB) The image of sheep in a pasture under the watchful eye of the shepherd shows us that God loves and cares for us. The shepherd protects the flock. The shepherd leads the flock to food and water. The shepherd brings the flock to places of rest. When we know the love of God, we will gladly listen to and obey the voice of God. We realize that the creator of the universe cares for us and provides protection, food, water, and rest. Jehovah, Yahweh, God wants a personal relationship with each of us. The God who is above all gods reaches down to caress us with His love. In this short section of the 95 th Psalm, we see several points which we may take away and remember. 1. When we enter His house, we are to enter with songs of thanksgiving and praise. 2. Realize that we are coming into His house to meet Him and draw near to His presence. 3. Realize that God is supreme. He is over all other gods that we often erect in our lives. 4. We show reverence to God when we come in His presence. 5. We come to God placing our lives in His hands without reservation. Allow Him to be our shepherd. We certainly have a reason to celebrate this morning. We have a reason to celebrate each day as we walk in the pastures of our great shepherd. 5