Welcome back to the beginning of a new season in the life of our church.  Like the father of the prodigal son, plans have been made to celebrate the good news of your return, a feast has been prepared to celebrate the reunion of our family. The choir has donned their best robes and practiced their greeting song.   I’m not sure but Philip, our Chair, may even have ordered the fatted calf to be killed.  (No?  Oh.  I must be thinking about the Harvest Dinner in October)
 

In the best sense of the word this morning is a homecoming.   We are coming home to God.  Coming home to our family of faith

We are all the sons that are returning and God is the joyous father who has anticipated our return and runs down the road with open arms.  You’re back. I missed you. YOU ARE HERE. “Beloved, let me hug you” Let me wrap my arms around you,  let me throw a party for you,  because you came back.”

In the community, I have been hearing the words repeated: “Back to Business.”  Teachers have been sharing their overwhelming experiences of the first week of school.  My daughter who is a schoolteacher told me that at a teacher’s meeting in her school, her principal asked how the teachers felt about the first week.  My daughter said, it is like getting off the plane for the first time in India: all your senses are shocked by the hot humid air which smacks you across the face, the noise of horns and voices and radios and animals, which fills your ears, and the sea of human people moving and running in all directions which boggles the eyes:  in a world overwhelming, not bad, just overwhelming.
 

I would like to read poem about daring to risk by Mary Oliver,  “The Journey,” in ten poems to change your life, by Roger Housden.
 

 “The Journey” is a poem of transformation, and …it is a mirror in which you can see a reflection of your own story.  It captures that moment when you dare to take your heart in your hands and walk through an invisible wall into a new life.”
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 Read poem.
 

The journey begins with a single step.  A single YES!  The son’s journey began when he decided to walk that long road home to his father.  The disciple’s journey began when they dropped their nets and decided to follow Jesus.  It was a long road for them both. They didn’t exactly what to expect, nor could they have anticipated the out come.
 
 

This year at Squamish United we also are embarking on a journey.  Like the disciples and the prodigal son we don’t know exactly what to expect.  Like Mary Oliver’s poem “the Journey, we   “ dare to take our heart in our hands and walk through an invisible wall into a new life.” Like the disciples of Christ for generations before us we are brave enough to begin a new of journey of leadership and discipleship building for a new season of the church.

Journey, as we all know, begins with preparation.  Last winter the board began the preparations for this faith filled journey upon which we now embark.  Even Jesus knew he couldn’t lead people to God alone.  He called disciples and he taught them how to follow.  He didn’t call those well trained in discipleship, or those with nothing else to do.  As he pondered God’s call to follow, he saw men working for a living as fisherman.  You can fish,  he said.  If you follow me I will teach you how to use those skills to be fishers for God.

To each of us Jesus says Follow Me, and I will make you fishers for God.

Welcome back to a new season.  Welcome home, says God.  I have been waiting for you.

Amen.