November 2018
Homecoming
by Don Casteline
There’s no place like home…
Dorothy may have made that line famous in the movie The Wizard of Oz, but there has always been something special about home.
I have been announcing high school football for quite a few years and more often than not teams play a little bit better when they are on their home field, in front of an excited home crowd. It is referred to as the “home field advantage”. On September 28th, WGRC was able to broadcast the first ever home victory for the Midd-West Mustangs as 2018 is the team’s inaugural season. The overtime game was filled with lots of mud but still the crowd went home happy following the school’s first ever homecoming football game! There were a lot of people in attendance with different backgrounds and interests, but the thing everyone had in common was that they were cheering for the same team.
Thinking about the “home field advantage” reminds me of the way God has designed us to be strengthened by the support and encouragement that can come from home (family, church, workplace, etc.). I realize that not every home environment is a positive one and that sometimes the greatest stresses in life rise up at home. Yet when home is a positive place it can offer us a charge that can help to propel us through the week!
In Acts 2 the early church faced many obstacles and struggles. It could have been a time when everyone went their separate ways and faith in God fizzled. Instead, God charged up His people through the “home field advantage” of being a part of His family. In verses 42-47 the people devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, prayer, worship and generous acts. Very different people were described as “having all things in common”. The result of coming together led to major growth in the church!
