Welcome Home!
Various Scriptures
What would you think if we instructed our greeters to greet you on Sundays with the words
“Welcome Home!”? {Personally I like the idea a lot but I’d be concerned that we were
promising more than we delivered at least at this point in our journey as a church}
“Welcome home!” Don’t those words carry some beautiful freight? (I know for some they
don’t)
You and I are familiar with the idea that the church is the body of Christ. We talk about that all
the time don’t we? We think of the church as the bride of Christ and the temple of the Holy
Spirit. What if we were to have a ‘from the heart’ understanding that this place that we come
to regularly is also to be ‘home’?
The idea of ‘home’ generally carries with it such warm associations. (Again I know that for some
that’s not true) But as God intended home to be, home is a place where we find acceptance.
Home is a place where we don’t have to be anybody but ourselves. Home is a place where we
can let down our walls. Home is a place where needs are met.
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This morning I’d like to take the idea that ‘church is to be like home’ for a test drive. I’d like
to take the idea that ‘church is to be like home’ for a test drive.
Let me begin with a slide…
The longer I’ve thought about this…it almost seems like a no-brainer… “Everybody knows that
church is to be like home…. especially if you replace the word ‘home’ with the word ‘family’. But
if we know it…I guess I would say we don’t live it out.
Of course most of us don’t have any trouble with the first picture at the left of the slide. We
would all agree that where we live—for our family 1200 Pine street, Kilgore Texas…you put your
address in the blank there…where we live is home for us. And by home we mean much more
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than the physical place. We mean the web of meaningful relationships that work themselves
out there.
At the far right of the slide, I think that most of us don’t have a problem thinking of heaven (the
new heavens and earth) as our eternal home. Billy Graham’s latest book is aptly titled ‘Nearing
Home’
We sing about heaven as our home in our gospel hymns…
I’ll Fly Away …Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away, To a home on God’s
celestial shore, I’ll fly away
When the Roll is Called up Yonder…On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in
Christ will rise…And the glory of His resurrection share…When his chosen ones will gather to
their home beyond the skies…And the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there
And…
When We All Get to Heaven….Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, sing his mercy and his grace, in
the mansions bright and blessed he’ll prepare for us a place. When we all get to heaven, what
a day of rejoicing that will be…
We who have put our trust in Christ all think of heaven, the new heavens and earth as our
ultimate home. I did find myself wondering if the scriptures ever use the word ‘home’ to
describe heaven. I was glad to find that they do.
POWERPOINT
2 Corinthians 5:8–9 (ESV)
8 Yes,
we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with
the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
And then from Revelation 21:3 in the New Revised Standard Version
POWERPOINT
Revelation 21:3 (NRSV)
3 And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God (ESV – ‘dwelling place of God’) is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as their God;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
So there’s no real question and no problem in thinking of heaven (the new heavens and earth)
as being our home. God will be with us and we can be assured that it will be the home we have
always dreamed of. It will be the ultimate home for us.
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Well let’s return to the first slide…
The question that remains is this —Is there biblical justification in thinking of the church as
‘home’?
I’m often grieved when I hear lines like this--“I feel like an outsider at KBC” OR “There are clearly
some cliques at the church” OR “Nobody ever reaches out to me!” Just the other day someone
said to me, “You know I just feel so and so’s hatred toward me”
I grieve at those lines…why can we be family to each other?
I did find myself wondering out loud if we were the home that God intended us to be, if
anybody would ever feel like an outsider, if anybody would feel that there are cliques, if
anybody would feel left out.
When I contemplate the idea of church being like home, another question surfaces for me. Is
it right for me to bring my longings for home to the church? Let me explain what I mean by
that question.
Suppose that there was a convenience store down the street and everybody was real friendly
there. I felt accepted. I felt included—“Hey Mr. Metz we’re thinking of stocking that new milk
that Coke is going to be selling…. That Fairlife stuff….high protein, high cost… What do you
think? Do you think we ought to do it?” I’m feeling included. I experience some community
there…they know my name…
But I think you’d agree it’s going way too far, don’t you think, to ask for some space for a roll
away bed and a place for my shaving equipment? It’s ludicrous to think that I could bring all of
my longings for home to that convenience store.
Similarly I love my bank. The people there are really friendly. They all know my name. Now I’ve
never been called when they came up with a new promotion but they are sincerely glad to see
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me (or at least I think they are) And it’s not because I have lots of money there—I’m probably
one of their most troublesome patrons; they’re always having to help me with my banking.
“Mr. Metz you forgot your account number” …. “Mr. Metz are you trying to make a deposit or
withdrawal?” But even though I hang out there as often as I can because people accept and
love me it doesn’t make sense that I would bring my longings for home to the bank. “Hey you
guys, when I stay out late, it would mean a lot to me to know you are staying up with me and
you’ll call me periodically to make sure I’m all right.” OR “Hey I’ve got to make a deposit…. And
could I tell you about my day?…I’m really struggling with a problem” It would be ludicrous for
me to take my longings for home to my bank.
But is it right for me to bring my longings for home to the church?
I long to be accepted for who I am. Is it wrong to think that I might find that here? Dear church
family, I need to lovingly let you know that some people don’t find acceptance here.
I long to give and receive care when I’m hurting. Is it wrong to think that I might find it here?
Some people would never bring their hurts here because we give off the perception that we
have it all together.
I long to be in a place where people don’t hold grudges or reject me because I’m a little different
or I didn’t do something right. Is it wrong for me to think that I might find that here?
You know I think we all once had those longings, those longings for acceptance and love. And
we brought them to a church (or this church) and…well we were disappointed. We didn’t feel
accepted, included or loved. We may have been criticized when we offered ourselves. And so
we shut down. We stopped wishing that we would find church to be a place like home.
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Chuck Swindoll writes this… “The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit to the
fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It's an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace,
escape rather than reality.
But it is a permissive, accepting, and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic.
You can tell people secrets and they usually don't tell others or even want to.
The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics but because God has put into the
human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved. And so many seek a
counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”1
1
Swindoll, #1525, "Encourage Me," by Charles R. Swindoll, 1982, page 82.
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God has put in the human heart a desire for home.
____________
Well your elder/deacon board wants you to begin longing again that this body of believers will
be a place like home, a place that would make mouths water for the home that we will one day
experience in the presence of our loving heavenly Father.
I’m convinced that God intended that the ‘institutions’ here on earth—marriage, family, and
the church—all point forward to our one day home in the new heavens and earth. That
marriage and family and church were all intended to make our mouths water for the home we
will one day have in the new heavens and earth.
Larry Crabb has a nice line here: “We’re all going to be dancing at God’s party in the next
world. It only makes sense that we’d learn a few steps now.”
Continuing with his illustration, we’re all going to have to get out on the dance floor aren’t we?
Here’s our church goal for 2015.
That each person (that’s all of us—not just the board, not just the greeters, not just Sunday
school teachers but all of us ) would cultivate (I hear hard work here, some plowing, some
digging, and some fertilizing to prepare for a harvest God might send) a welcoming ( I see open
arms here, I see eye contact, I see walking across the room), knowing ( I hear the word
vulnerability in that word knowing), caring and authentic community.
Now in all that I’ve said in the last few minutes I’ve assumed something. I’ve assumed that God
intended the church is to be a place like home. Does the bible really teach that? Let’s see.
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1. The Bible teaches that when we believe we become members of God’s family
Romans 8:14–17 …14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not
receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption
as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” It is by the Spirit of God that we are adopted into
God’s family. And it’s by the Holy Spirit that we cry out to our heavenly Father. 6 The Spirit
himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, The Holy Spirit assures us
that we are God’s children. 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with
Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
So just as we are born into physical families/homes at our physical birth, so we are re-born into
God’s family/God’s household at our spiritual birth, when we put our faith in Christ. We are
adopted into his family.
2. The bible teaches that members of God’s family make-up the “household of God”
Turn with me to 1 Timothy 3:15
1 Timothy 3:15 --15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household
(literally ‘house’) of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the
truth.
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The community of believers here in 1 Timothy 3 is called the household of God. Household is
literally ‘house’ in verse 15 but the focus is not on the building as such but on the people. And
that’s why most of the translations use the word ‘household’ instead of ‘house’.
And notice, there in verse 15, that the ‘house of God’ (the home of God) is the church of the
living God.
It does seem that ‘home’ provides a good overarching picture of what the church should be.
One more…. Turn with me to Ephesians 2….
Ephesians 2:19–20 …19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (‘people of the house of God’)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the
cornerstone,
This idea—that the church is the household of God, the house of God, the home of God—shows
up also in Galatians 6:10 and I Peter 4:17.
Now what am I doing? What am I trying to prove? I’ve been trying to prove that it’s very
reasonable that we would think of the church as ‘home’…. It’s very reasonable to think of the
church as a place where brothers and sisters live like the family of God in anticipation of living
forever as the family of God in heaven. It’s very reasonable that we should greet one another ,
“WELCOME HOME!”
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So I think it’s right that we would think of this place as home. And I think it’s right that we
would bring our longings for home to this place. And I think we should give all the energy we
can—energy that God supplies—to make this place the home that God intends. I personally
want to go to church that feels like home. I personally want to go to a church that makes my
mouth water for the home I will inherit in heaven. And I want others to experience this place as
a place that feels like home. I don’t want to hear any longer… “I feel like an outsider”
Now we all know from our own homes that ‘doing home’ is hard work. At times we all fall
short. Ask the people who have lived with Julia and me over the last year or two—we don’t
always do home well. And I can imagine it’s the same at your house. Sometimes you’re on,
you’re firing on all cylinders—other times you’re glad that the walls don’t have ears. And then
we come together—a collection of homes that are at times very troubled—and we try to do
“home” together. No wonder it doesn’t feel like home around here much. No wonder we
stumble. But we shouldn’t give up.
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If God has called us to be ‘home’ together, and I think he has, I think we can safely assert that
has given us all the resources we need to do it well.
He has knitted us together in unity. Ephesians 4:4–6 tells us that 4 There is one body and one
Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
God has united us
He has given us His Spirit.
And He has given us His book.
I’m convinced that we have all the resources we need to do ‘home’ well. In your bulletin you
may have already discovered the laminated book mark. But if not, pull it out. On one side,
you’ll find our church goal for this year. On the other side you’ll find the ‘one anothers’ of
scripture.
I believe that for us to do “home” well then we have to give ourselves to the “one anothers” of
scripture. In other words it will start looking like home around here when we accept one
another… when we forgive one another…when we encourage one another…when we serve one
another…when we confess our sins to one another.
Show me a church that’s not experiencing bible verses together and I’ll show you a church that
doesn’t feel like home.
-----------------And so for the rest of our time I’d like to press the picture of home…home! If we want this
place to start looking like home then we’ve got to paint a picture of home that we aspire to
with clear, bold, brush strokes. What is home like? Home is a place where I can be reminded of
what I already know. Home is a place where I can see that others struggle too. Home is a place
where I want to go when I need care, counsel, or truth.2 Home is a place where I can be
instructed in really important things. Home is a place where I look for examples. Home is a
place where I can be myself.3 Home is a place where I’m challenged to grow. Home is a place
where my selfishness comes into the light and can be repented of.4
In our remaining time let me pick a few more and elaborate on them.
2
Joey deGraffenried
Dan Harding
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Tom Beets.
3
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1. Home is a place where I am loved. Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue…1 John
4:7…..7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been
born of God and knows God. Clearly our love for each other much flavor this place and it
often does. They will know we are his disciples by our love. Home is a place where I am loved
and can love others.
2. Home is a place where I am accepted.
Robert Frost said, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you
in”5
God says it a lot differently
There are a host of things that conspire against us accepting one another. And the word
acceptance can mean ‘welcoming’ or ‘opening our arms to one another,’ or ‘receiving one
another’. Some of us are old and some of us are young. We have different preferences. Some
of us like choruses and some of us like hymns. Some of us like the KJV. Some of us like the ESV.
And still some others like the NIV. We each have different giftings and we see church life
through those giftings. We each play different roles in the body life here at church. Some of us
are eyes. Some of us are feet. And some of us are hands. Some of us are fingers. “Why won’t
you put the gloves on?” the fingers say to the toes. “Gloves, why would we put gloves on?” the
toes respond. We’re just very different.
A group was together recently and the conversation briefly turned to what we all used to do for
a living. Having shared what I used to do for a living with the group I proceeded to share my
favorite story from Gary Beasley’s past work history. He was there in the group. Why I felt the
need to share his past work experiences—or get him to share his past--I don’t know. Well Gary
was a nursing home administrator for many years. And one time he drove in during the night
shift when he normally didn’t work. He showed up unannounced. And he began to wander the
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Christianity Today, Home, Quotations to stir heart and mind
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hall looking for employees. The night shift was nowhere to be found. He finally went into the
break room and they were all there playing poker. Now I stopped Gary and I asked the group,
“What would you all do?” What Gary did was really incredible and I’ll let you ask him what he
did when you see him. You know what I probably would have done given that I love to serve
and help? I would probably have said something like this---“It looks like you all have a good
game going, so I’m going to go empty some bed pans”…. Now that’s sick isn’t it? … but my
point is that we all come at things differently—we’re so different. And we need to accept each
other.
And what’s the standard for our acceptance? Look at the verse behind me on the screen. We
must accept one another just as Christ also accepted us. The One accepting leads to the other
accepting. How did Christ accept us? With open arms. How must we accept others? With
open arms. We’ve been the recipient of a river of acceptance and we must in turn offer others
a river of acceptance. Is there someone here in the congregation you haven’t accepted like
that? The standard is really high.
Home is a place where I’m accepted.
3. Home is a place where I am known. Imagine my wife and I are sitting down to breakfast.
We hear someone coming down the stairs and they exit before we can catch a glimpse of them.
I turn to Julia and say, “Who was that?” She says, “I don’t know….pass the biscuits” Isn’t
there something wrong in that picture? It happens all the time here. Who was that new couple
on the back row?
Now there are different levels of knowing right? I can know your name. I can know what
you’ve done for a living in a past life (and share that with the whole church family) Or I can
even know how you were hurt growing up. I can know what you value. For us to know one
another we’ve got to become more vulnerable with one another. Home is a place where I am
known.
4. Home is a place where relational needs are met....the need to be accepted, the need to be
supported as someone carries a burden…the need to be encouraged….the need to be
comforted or understood. Home is a place where relational needs are met.
5. Home is a place where the truth is shared in a loving way….
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The interesting thing about this verse is that there are three ways we can disobey it. The first
way is to lie. We don’t speak the truth we lie. The second way is to not speak the truth. In
other words there’s something we know we ought to say but we just don’t. We’re silent. We
don’t speak the truth. The third way we can disobey this verse is in not sharing the truth in a
loving way. We just berate someone or are harsh with them.
Are there truths that you need to speak to someone? Have you shared some truths but done it
harshly? Home is a place where the truth is shared with me in a loving way.
6. Home is a place where I can give and receive care. When was the last time you rejoiced with
someone who was rejoicing? That’s care. When was the last time you listened to someone and
comforted them about a loss? That’s care. When was the last time you pulled someone aside
who was mourning and mourned with them? That’s care. Home is a place where I can give and
receive care.
7. Home is a place where forgiveness flows freely
You know you’re harboring unforgiveness when you’re still angry with someone or carrying a
grudge. God calls us to forgive freely. And what’s the standard for our forgiveness? We are
to forgive as we have been forgiven.
8. Home is a place where the gospel goes really deep.
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Have you ever had an interaction with someone where they were kind of defensive? They were
feeling attacked? They felt compelled to communicate “I really am good” Such a person
doesn’t understand the gospel. Such a person is still trying to manage their value in the eyes of
men. I am sometimes such a person.
When the gospel goes deep in our lives, we’re free to be weak, we’re free to fail, we’re free to
have made mistakes, we’re free not to have every duck in order. Because the gospel says we
are utter failures in our attempts to please God. But the gospel says God loves us anyway.
Home is a place where the gospel goes really deep. We can give up our attempts at managing
others perceptions of us. Our value has been determined in the love of God for us. Our value
has been settled. Home is where the gospel goes really deep.
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Well for this place to start looking like home and feeling like home we’ve all got to get out there
on the dance floor. Would you pray with me?
O God, we fall short in many ways. There is a longing in our hearts that this place we love so
much would be more like home. Lead the way. It’s not something that we can accomplish in
our own strength. Show us what we should do. Give us humility to consider others more
important than ourselves. Give us courage to do the right things. Make this place like home we
pray.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
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