When I was in seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, I was a pastor in East Texas.  After graduation, I started a church in Reno.  One day the East Texas church asked me to come back to preach at its Homecoming Service.

My family and I flew to Dallas where we rented a car.  Then we drove to Elkhart, Texas and got a hotel room.  That night I wanted to talk to God about the next morning’s service.  So, I drove out to the church which was at the end of a Farm-to-Market-Road.

My old church was all lit up.  I figured the custodian was there.  I wanted to be alone with God, so I remembered a church nearby that housed a Black congregation.  I drove to it and parked in front of the little church.  I turned the handle of the front door.  It was locked, but as I pushed the door, it opened!

I walked inside and rubbed my hand across the back of a pew.  It was dust free, so I knew the church was still being used.  Then I thought, “The pastor of this church must really love you, Jesus.  In this sparsely populated area, he won’t get much of an attendance or fame.  He must be the pastor here simply because he loves you.”

Then I began to weep, with great heaves coming up from my chest.  I staggered outside and looked at a bright moon shining in a velvet sky, setting the white, wooden church aglow.  I wondered why I was crying so passionately.  Then I knew.

I realized that all God expected of me was to be totally surrendered to him.  I simply must trust him to work everything out (Romans 8:28).  I felt sudden, complete peace.  The burden of my heart rolled away.  I had been under pressure to make my church grow, and now I knew that all God wanted from me was total surrender and total faith.

I was concerned that when I went back to Reno that I would take on the pressure again of growing the church.  “How can I keep this feeling of peace?” I asked Jesus.  Then I said, “I’ll remember this white moon against a velvet sky, setting aglow a small, wooden church.  A simple picture to remind me of a simple truth: totally trust God.

Sunday I’m preaching on “Welcome Home” from Luke 15:11-32.  I’ll talk about “Repent,” verses 11-24; and “Accept Other’s Repentance,” verses 25-32.  It’s from the greatest short story ever told, the parable of the prodigal son.  It’ll help us get ready for Anniversary Sunday, September 20, wherein we’ll invite former attendees to celebrate our church with us.  Meanwhile, let’s learn to be totally surrendered to Jesus and have total faith that he’s providing. May you feel the kind of relief that I felt that beautiful night before homecoming!

Love.

Jim Meek