Sermon Tone Analysis

When Dorothy is clicking her heels in the ruby red shoes at the end of the The Wizard of Oz saying, “There is no place like home,” what did she mean?

Was she conveying something significant about the ol’ Kansas farm house?

Was she talking about a longing to be with her family and friends?

Was she desiring to be in a familiar geographical location rich with memory and meaning for her?

Or was she meaning she learned her lesson, and with the lesson learned, she was now ready to reject the “over the rainbow” life she wanted earlier in the show only to ‘come to her senses’ that what she always had is what she actually wanted?

All she needed to do was figure out where “home” is… and once she did that, she would know the place she would never, ever leave.

Russ Langmore — the unthinkable thought of leaving Life in Ozark.

Marla’s Family

Lillian’s farm… Uncle Glenn

1924 E. Glenco

Home… it can be a house… a people… a land… and a lesson.

Many who have lived their Life in Ozark believe they have found their “home” here.

And they never want to leave… even when they leave, the don’t want leave.

Been to Destin?

Gulf Shores?

Its the Life in Ozark, but on an ocean.

Those of us who enjoy Life in Ozark must be on our guard… lest our home… our people… our land… and our lessons become our greatest idol.

We were created to have and be and live at Home.

Gen 2.15-25

You ever run away from home?

Rob at the end of the street sitting by the stop sign.

He was a lousy runner away-er.

You and I are NOT lousy runner away-ers from God.

We are skilled, invested runner away-ers!

Liken us to the Prodigal son of

We ran away from our garden home… we kicked down the doors of Eden and head to the shadow side of the rainbow...

But inside, we sense it… we ran away and are invested in our exile… but we are looking for a “home.”

The Jews in Exile… God calling them home...

Ezekiel

Ezekiel

The Jews in Exile… God calling them home...

Beware of Homey Substitutions and Idols...

Following the Lord is hard.

Good?

Yes.

And hard.

When being at home with the Lord is hard, we are prone to look for substitutes.

You can find a home… a people… a land… some lessons… but none of those are your home.

The Lord is your home.

This World is not your home.

Tisha — “I’m going to live in this house the rest of my life.”

When you are looking for home… you are looking for Jesus.

You can live anywhere.

You can work anywhere.

You can drive anything.

You can endure painful, untimely passing of family and friends — all of us have or will endure such losses.

You can be well or sick.

Rich or poor.

Live in the 10/40 window, or the minority world, or in the heart of Manhattan… you live in all of it — for five minutes or your entire life — but if you don’t have Jesus, you aren’t home.

And any belief you carry that you can be or are at home in this world because you have a certain house, a certain tribe, a certain geographical location with Bible lessons galore… but without Jesus, you ain’t home.

With Jesus… with him… you are.