Home or Away

The world is a sad place for many people.
More than 4 million people are away from their homes, driven away by wars, violence, local tyranny and natural disasters. These figures, from the United Nations, reveal the scale of human misery, and most of these people are fleeing local aggression and terror from their governments.
Libya is just the most recent and most publicised country where violence is on the menu. In Woking, I come across many from Zimbabwe and Nigeria who are refugees and asylum seekers. But for all such, 'home' is a distant memory.
Much of the Bible story recalls the experience of being away from home. First, there were the slaves in Egypt. Then, the Jewish community, deported to Babylon in the sixth century BC, experienced the full weight of exile. And while there was a physical return from exile some years later, many continued to believe that they were still in exile, away from the presence of their God. Things were just not right.
So when Jesus told th story of the Prodigal Son, there were many echoes of the experience of God's people.
The foolish, runaway son, far away from home, realises the error of his ways. ' “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.' (Luke 15.17-20)
All of us know our experience of being away from the God who made us. In our human drive for independence and self-government, we strike out to prove ourselves. In the process, we cause untold pain and grief to those around us, and sadden our Father's heart. But when we return, He is waiting to welcome, embrace and restore us. That is such good news for us and for all our friends too, who may be far away from home too.
Best wishes,
Richard