The tradition of homecoming is supposed to be a celebration of the organization, usually a school or university. It encourages alumni to return and help celebrate their heritage, and often involves a sporting event (primarily football in this part of the world!).
In a sense, this Sunday is a little bit like our church’s homecoming. We’re celebrating the anniversary of the church that started in 1909. That’s a lot of tradition! We should celebrate what God has done through this church and remember those who have come and gone before us. As for a football game...I’m open to it if you are!
While celebrating the past is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, we have ultimately missed the point if we stop there. Celebrating the past should culminate in celebrating and preparing for the future God has for us. A school celebrates homecoming at least partly to encourage support for their future. As a body of believers at Cross Roads, we should also seek the future. What does God have for us in the next year? The next decade? The next 112 years? To do that, we need to consider not only what our ancestors did in founding Cross Roads, but why. They did what they did in the way they did because it related the message of Christ to their community at the time. Celebrating that heritage means having that same attitude—what does God want us to do to reach the reality of who our community is today? That might mean doing things differently to reach a different generation. Are we ready for that?