boomerangs and badboys

Today's readings:
Psalm 30, Psalm 32, Ezekiel 39:21-29, Philippians 4:10-20, John 17:20-26

 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel 

went into captivity for their iniquity, 

because they dealt so treacherously with me 

that I hid my face from them and gave them into 

the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 

I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.

Ezekiel 39:23-24

I don't know what my parents were thinking when my gave my brother and me our first boomerangs, but I will be forever grateful for their momentary lack of sanity.

We had just enough space in the backyard to get ourselves in trouble. We would aim for trees, branches, and each other pretending we were kangaroos. The object was of course to have it return but it was always an added bonus if we blew the throw and hand to climb onto the rood to retrieve it.

The  boomerang is an Australian icon, which of course makes it intrinsically cool.
Here is what they say about them:

"This is a fairly simple sport to learn. Almost anyone—boy, girl or even old folks—

can handle a boomerang well enough 

to get satisfaction from it after an hour or so of practice. 

And one sensationally nice point in its favor is that 

it's the only thing you can ever hope to own which, 

when thrown away, comes back. 

Now, that's what you call a sweet possession."

...that is what God says about us, you see. 

We are like boomerangs hand-carved by a Master Craftsman.

We may be in the Throwers hand. 

We may traveling away, 

we may be on the return. 

Lent gives us the chance to pause and think where we are in flight. 

Perhaps we are far from God. Is it because our actions have sent us away? 

Perhaps we are coming back, after running away. 

Perhaps we have come back, and we find ourselves falling at the Feet of the Craftsman. 

Boomerangs are made to come back. 

We are too. 

God does not like it when we don't return and find ourselves lost. 

It breaks his heart and he has done all that he could to find us. 

At times we may be sent away for good reason...but God always wants us back. 

That's called repentance on our part, and love on his. 

Homecoming, this is what Lent is about.

Where are you? 

In the hand, in flight, or headed back? 

Come back, says the Lord. 

Do not delay. Come back while it is still daylight.
The end of Lent is Easter, the Great Dawn will come and we don't know when.
The things lost in the dark the day before will remain in the dark. 
You are his sweet possession.

amen