Homecoming!

             Last night, I stayed up late to watch a very special homecoming.  Three Americans who had been unjustly imprisoned in Russia were finally back home on American soil.  As friends, family, and media waited patiently, the camera focused on the plane in the distance, growing ever closer to its destination.  As the plane prepared for landing the anticipation grew.  Finally, the plane touched down and slowly made its way to its destination on the tarmac.  Then, there were those final gut-wrenching moments waiting for the stairs to be put in place and the door to open. 

            I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for the family and friends of those individuals.  Some of them had been waiting for almost six years, wondering if this day would ever come.  What joy they must have felt as their loved one walked down those steps.  What a relief that the one they loved was finally safely home!  What peace must have washed over them in those moments.

            I expected the families and friends to go rushing toward the plane to meet the family members who had been away for so long.  That would have been a normal response, but it was not to be.  They stood quietly and expectantly back, as those who had been imprisoned were greeted first by the President and Vice-President of the United States.  It was only after that initial greeting and words of thanks for their freedom that the released Americans were finally reunited with their families.

            As I watched that initial meeting unfold, I couldn’t help but think of another homecoming that every Christian will experience someday.  Many of us will have family and friends waiting to welcome us home.  Yet, nothing will compare to seeing our Savior’s face for the first time!  When we behold Him in all His glory, I can’t even begin to imagine what emotions will overflow.  He has saved us, not from a prison cell, but from an eternity in hell!  He didn’t just negotiate with Satan for our release.  He paid the price, once and for all, for our sins!  As much as we might long to see friends and family once more, they will have to take a backseat to our Savior.  What a glorious day that homecoming will be!  I think Mercy Me said it best in their song, “I Can Only Imagine”:

“Surrounded by Your glory

What will my heart feel?

Will I dance for You, Jesus

Or in awe of You, be still?

Will I stand in Your presence

Or to my knees, will I fall?

Will I sing hallelujah?

Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine

I can only imagine”

 

            That’s a homecoming that none of us want to miss!

 

John 14: 2 – 3

I Corinthians 5: 8

I Thessalonians 4: 17

Revelation 22: 4

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