Going home. Those two words are fraught with meaning. As radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say, 'And now, the rest of the story'.
Conditions are wet coming back into Calgary where I had to pick up some mugs from our niece Laura. In Calgary, slick is a better description. Back on the road again and it is wet. Therefore, lots of wiper with windshield washer solution at work all the way to Edmonton. You have to get past the semi-trailer trucks quickly or it is a small monsoon of water coming off their loads. The trip is quicker but no less draining. And then it strikes me. I am not the same person returning. Both you and the people you know, even your loved ones are not the same. Their roads have not been your road; their experiences have not been your experiences; their journeys have taken them in different directions. I first found this notion in the bible (more on that in a minute) and then in the Thomas Wolfe book, "You Can't Go Home Again". I was a very 'old' 14 when this first happened. I know it in a much deeper way now.
The past can catch up to you. At the study conference were classmates from seminary days. Some I had not seen in over 25 years. Great to catch up. And then, I was at Mt. Olivet Lutheran in Sherwood Park last night for a Lenten service. My short interim there brought back many memories as I walked around. Especially I found how deep some of those memories were, since this was the time of Covid lockdowns, when everyone was at home and Zoom became one of our go-to tools.
It will happen again this Saturday at Ascension Lutheran where there is a collaborative ministry session going on. Now I am back in 1969, 1970 and 1971 in a different church that was trying to explore working relationships with Anglican and United Churches. Roads and experiences of old coming back into the present part of the journey.
Jesus found it impossible to go home. I take great comfort in this because he too knew what it was like to be treated as you were when you were 5-12 and not older and more experienced. Mark 6:1-6 tells of this. I would suggest Luke 4 also, as it gives more details and context to the situation before and after. Same rejection though. And this is really important for our Lenten journey.
When you walk back into a place, especially a building, feelings, emotions and reactions can immediately arise. You must prepare yourself if you are going to do this. This often happens when you are 'going home'. Some of us carry more of this because we have been more like the people in Deuteronomy 26. We have wandered and had many places we called home. Some of us are from other countries, continents, provinces; all during our life-times.
So, where do you find yourself now on the road of life? In all of this, there is one constant. Our God is always there. In the valleys, the hills, the plains, the rough and smooth roads we have been on, Jesus always says to us "I am here, right beside you." Call on him when you need to, he and the Holy Spirit will answer. Our journey of Lent continues. Pr. Scott
