My next-door neighbor in Wallace (not the one with the chickens!) loves the mountains. He has lived in Wallace for 30-plus years but takes off to go hiking in the mountains every chance he gets. He and his wife especially love the mountains in the fall, so they were very excited about joining the rest of their family for a week in Boone.
The trip took an unexpected turn, however, when my neighbor slipped on some wet steps and fell, cracking three vertebrae in his neck. After a week in the hospital, he was finally able to make it back home by lying in the back of their daughter’s SUV. One neighbor welcomed him back by tying yellow ribbons on the trees by the driveway. Some of you are old enough to remember the song by Tony Orlando and Dawn that made yellow ribbons a sign of “Welcome Home!” We were all glad to see him.
Jesus told a story of a younger son who grew tired of life on the farm. He wanted his freedom and his share of his inheritance, and he wanted it NOW! His father granted his request and the son went off to see the world. We aren’t given the details of his adventures, only that he “squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13) One thing is clear, when he ran out of money, he ran out of friends and he fell on some hard times. Feeding pigs was the lowest occupation he could imagine, yet that is where he found himself and even envied the pigs in the process.
There is a beautiful line in Jesus’ story that says, “When he came to his senses.” (Luke 15:17) The younger son finally had his eyes opened to how far he was from his home and from his father who loved him. He just couldn’t figure out how to get home. Geography was not his challenge. Guilt and remorse made it seem like an impossible journey back.
As the son made his way toward home, he felt very unworthy and feared he would not be welcomed at his father’s house. But the father saw him coming and ran to meet him in the road. The father’s mercy and love opened the doors for the son’s return.
When you realize the story is about us and about God, it seems almost too good to be true. But it isn’t. The Father is watching for you to make your way home.
I bet there are yellow ribbons tied to the gates of heaven.
-Dr. Jim Baldwin
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