I Want My Blankie!

In his sermon this past weekend, Pastor Steve talked about homesickness and how we were never made for “this” world and that we will never be satisfied until we go to our “true” home.  Then all homesickness will cease, and our deepest needs and longings will be met. 

When I was only four years old, I had to go to Mt. Sinai Hospital to have my tonsils taken out, adenoids removed and tubes put in my ears.  I remember being excited about the fact that I could eat as much ice cream as I wanted, but what no one told me was that I would be too sick to eat anything and that I would have to be away from “home” for three whole nights.  No blankie!  No dollies!  No stuffed animals!  Times have changed and hospitals are a lot more “kid-friendly” then they were when I was growing up.  Thank goodness!

I remember pleading and crying with my mom and dad to take me home.  All I really wanted was to “go home”--to sleep in my bed with my bedraggled “blankie” and my hairless dolly named Pammy, and to snuggle with my worn-out, well-loved stuffed doggie named Rufus, whose head had been sewed-on a couple of times.  That was all I wanted!  “Home” was pretty simple for me when I was four.  It was a place where I was loved and felt safe--where my tummy was always full and my bed was always warm and covered with all my “beloved” stuffed animals and dolls that were important to me. 

One of the most touching movies about coming home, was the re-make of the movie “Homeward Bound.”  It is a story of two dogs and a cat who are lost and who make their way home to their “family.”  Michael J. Fox is the voice of Chance, one of the dogs.  At the end of the movie, when they are reunited with their family, Chance says:

“A strange new feeling came over me.  I had a family!  I had found out that sacrifice, friendship and even love were more than just the mushy stuff.  At last, for the first time in my life I was home!” 

Watch video>> 

As adults, we long for “home,” especially when things in this world get tough for us.  We long for a deeper security and a peace that this world can’t provide.  One day, we will indeed be welcomed to our real “home” and sit with all the saints who have gone before us at the most magnificent banquet feast of all time!  Jesus, our Host, will welcome us personally to this ultimate homecoming party! 

Pax,

Pastor Carol