The Joy of Coming Home

As you make your way back, Luke chapter 15, just a few verses this morning.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

We'll talk about just quickly the joy of coming home.

Luke 15, 17 through 24 says this.

It says, but when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired

men have more than enough bread?

But I am dying here with hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and will

say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

Make me as one of your hired men.

So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off,

his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But when the father said to his slaves,

quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his finger,

on his hand and the sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf,

slaughter it and let us eat and celebrate for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again.

He was lost and has been found and they began to celebrate.

Let's pray. Father God, I pray you bless these words today, Lord.

I pray your Holy Spirit would just continue to move in our midst.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

I hope y'all can tell I'm excited today. The joy of coming home.

I'll tell you, a special, again, a special welcome to everybody who's here today.

Former members, visiting family, lifelong faithful, new faces alike.

There's something really special and sacred about coming home,

isn't there? I mean, not just to a house, but to a place that's filled with

memories, filled with love.

And belonging, right? And that's what today is all about. You've heard the concert

today and just, you know what the theme was, right?

Going home, right? I mean, being with the Lord and having our life and our sins

forgiven and our hearts in line with his, right?

But that's what today, like I said, it's all about. Homecoming Sunday isn't just a tradition.

It's a reminder, Eastwood, that God is always calling us, get this,

back to a place of faith, back to a place of family and purpose.

But I'll tell you what, if you think about just for a moment,

what makes a place a home?

It's not the pews, is it? It's not the steeple.

It's you. It's the people, right?

It's the stories. It's the love that gets passed from generation to generation,

y'all. And at Eastwood Baptist Church,

just like many churches across the country, we've seen a lot, right?

We've seen babies dedicated, grandparents buried throughout the 70 years, right?

Sunday dinners, summer camps, kids grow up in Sunday school,

then come back with kids of their own.

I tell you what, as we think about the history of our church,

this church has stood through the storms, right?

Literally and spiritually, because it's built on the foundation of who? Jesus Christ.

And homecoming reminds us of our roots, doesn't it? I mean, here we read this

brief excerpt of the story of the prodigal son.

And in fact, as we looked at that today, you know the story.

A young man actually demands his inheritance.

I mean, it's like you didn't get it till after, you know, your father died, right?

And yet he's saying almost in essence, really in essence, I wish you were dead

so I can get my money, right?

He wants his inheritance. He leaves home. What does he do? Y'all know the story.

He wasted all and he ends up doing what?

Slopping dogs, feeding the pigs, right? But then something very powerful happens

as we read earlier In verse 17, what does it say?

It says, when he came to himself, you notice that when God got a hold of him,

he came to himself, the moment everything changed when he said, I have sinned.

Against heaven and against my father, right? And he remembered,

y'all, where he came from.

He said, how many of my father's hired servants have food to spare? And here I am starving.

This pig slop starting to look good to me.

And he got up and he started the long walk home, probably expecting a cold reception.

Verse 20 says, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him.

Where was his father, he was watching, wasn't he? He was looking out.

He was ready for his lost son to come home.

In fact, if you can picture it here, as we read in the text that the father,

what? He runs to his son, right?

He runs to meet him and he embraced him and he kissed him.

He didn't run there to scold him or to shame him, but to embrace,

to restore, to celebrate.

Think about it. Put a ring on his finger, right? Kill the fatted calf.

My son was lost and now he is found.

Wow. That's what homecoming Eastwood looks like in God's kingdom.

And maybe that's the message that somebody needs today.

Whether you've drifted from church, from family, or even from God,

he's not waiting with arms crossed, giving you that look, right?

Nope. He's not waiting that way. He's waiting with arms open, open arms, right?

He's there waiting on us. In fact, homecoming, get this today,

homecoming is not about guilt.

It's about grace. It's not about that what you've missed or how long you've been gone.

It's about grace, the kind that says you still belong, you still matter, and you're still loved.

We've all had prodigal moments, right? I mean, who here's ever had one of those

prodigal moments. Just think about it.

Seasons of distance, maybe seasons of doubt even, but the miracle church of

God's grace is this, that you're never too far gone to come back home.

Homecoming is God's invitation. Says in the word, return to me and I will return to you.

Wow. I mean, let's just think this morning, let's surrender together.

Let's recommit together as we gather today.

And yes, I know you smell the chicken. We're about to go. But let's not just look back.

Let's look forward. Surrender to the God who never stopped watching the road for you.

Surrender to him. Recommit to the church that has shaped generations.

I guarantee you, how many of you here have been impacted throughout your life

at some point by Eastwood Baptist Church?

Lift up that hand. How many have been impacted? I see them all over.

You see, recommit to the church that has shaped generations.

Recommit to each other, to love, to serve, to grow together.

And whether you're a charter member of Eastwood or maybe here for the first

time, this church, I want you to know this today, this church needs you.

We all need each other. Amen.

And whatever gifts you have today, whatever you bring, your story,

your heart, let's be a church here at Eastwood that opens our arms like the

father here in Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

Always ready to celebrate when somebody finds their way back home, y'all.

And I'm going to close with this. Maybe today is your homecoming moment,

not just to a church building.

Get this, to Jesus himself.

If you're tired, come home. If you've wondered, come home.

If you're searching, come home, because this is a place of grace.

And God is waiting, not with a lecture, but with a feast, right?

The ultimate feast, the wedding supper of the Lamb, amen?

It's going to pale this one, right? But I'm looking forward to this one, too.

But I just want you to know, if that's you today, think about it for a moment.

Close your eyes just for a moment think about this today and these brief moments.

Are you that one who today needs to simply say, Jesus, please forgive me, Lord.

I acknowledge I have sinned against you, Lord. And I've heard about all this

homecoming stuff. I've heard about going home, having my place secured in heaven.

I love it being here home at Eastwood. But Lord, I know things are not right

between me and you. And today's the day, Lord, I want to come home to you.

If that's you and the Holy Spirit has a hold in your heart, I pray today that

right where you are this morning, you'll say, Lord, forgive me a sinner, Lord.

I know you're waiting with open arms.

Lord, forgive me of all my sin. Lord, I thank you so much for taking my place

on the cross, Lord, for dying the death I should have died, Lord.

And now I can have your righteousness imputed to me, Lord. I thank you for that.

I repent. I put my faith and trust in you alone, Jesus.

And I thank you that you rose on the third day. Lord, you made a way for me to be forgiven.

And if that's you, I pray this morning, as God's got a hold of your heart right

now, we're going to have just a moment here. I'm going to give you just a short

opportunity to walk down this aisle and come home.

And I promise you, Jesus will be with you every step of the way.

And this is a homecoming that you're going to receive with his open arms.

Wow. Let's pray. Lord, I thank you so much for the gift of home.

I thank you for Eastwood Baptist Church and every life that has been touched here.

Today, Lord, we return with gratitude.

We recommit with purpose. We surrender to you, Lord.

We rejoice today in your grace in Jesus' name.