In Your Mercy Call Us Back - Home

8.30.2026

[Texts]

Jeremiah 15:15–21 ▪ Psalm 26:1–8 ▪ Romans 12:9–21 ▪ Matthew 16:21–28

God’s call to “come home” isn’t about comfort or pride.

It’s not about sounding beautiful or feeling good.

It’s about becoming a community where faith comes alive,

where mercy and justice are practiced,

and where God’s love is made visible through us.

Peace and grace to you from God, our beloved Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Some of you may have heard me share that

my husband and I have moved often,

sometimes for ministry, sometimes for family needs.

And each time I found myself asking God again,

“What does it mean to have a home congregation

while finding my place in this country?”

One of those moves came

when we returned to the States

after caring for my father in Taiwan.

That year, my husband was serving a Spanish‑English bilingual congregation.

I didn’t join him right away; instead,

I worshiped with a nearby Chinese‑speaking congregation

while discerning my own call.

After a year of prayer and reflection,

I realized that a home congregation

isn’t just about speaking a familiar language or

feeling comfortable in a particular culture,

it’s about belonging to a community

where faith, mercy, and purpose meet.

When I returned to serve alongside my husband in 2003,

I began to understand home congregation

as the place where God’s people help one another

grow in faith,

fail safely, and

rise again in God’s grace.

In today’s scriptures, we glimpse what a home congregation looks like through God’s eyes:

Jeremiah 15:15–21 — God strengthens Jeremiah to stand firm amid opposition.

A home congregation is where we help one another stay faithful when the world pushes back.

Psalm 26:1–8 — The psalmist walks in God’s truth and love.

A home congregation is where we keep God’s love before our eyes and walk together in integrity.

Romans 12:9–21 — Paul calls the church to live in harmony—to bless and not curse, to overcome evil with good.

A home congregation is where mercy and justice are practiced daily, not just preached.

Matthew 16:21–28 — Jesus predicts his death and rebukes Peter, teaching that discipleship means taking up the cross.

A home congregation is where we learn to say no to selfishness and yes to the way of the cross—where fear gives way to joy and life everlasting.

Yesterday, on behalf of this congregation,

I brought Holy Communion to Jeff and Deb and

shared with them that we would be receiving Nancy into membership today.

It felt like a beautiful moment to name

what a home congregation means for people of faith,

a place where death and suffering are not signs of defeat

but part of God’s path toward hope and renewal.

Deb then shared one of her favorite quotes from Thomas Edison:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

I later found a similar one by Henry Ford:

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

How true it is that each failure is simply another way to experience life.

That’s the kind of home congregation God calls us to be,

a place where we grow together through every imperfection,

where grace meets us in our vulnerability, and

where resurrection hope keeps us moving forward.

A home congregation is a foretaste of God’s Kingdom home,

a place where mercy and love are practiced,

where justice and joy take root, and

where all are welcomed at God’s table.

Just as the Holy Communion is a foretaste of the feast to come,

our life together is a glimpse of what God’s kingdom is about:

all are invited,

all are nourished,

all are made whole.

Today, as we receive Nancy into membership,

we celebrate that God keeps calling people home

into mercy,

belonging, and

the living promise of God’s kingdom among us.

[Invite Nancy to share her words.]

Closing Prayer / Benediction

Gracious God,

You call us home again and again

into Your mercy, into Your love, into Your family.

Thank You for the gift of belonging,

for the courage to follow Christ’s way,

and for the joy of welcoming new hearts into our household of faith.

Send us out now to be living signs of Your kingdom

where love is practiced,

mercy is shared,

and justice is made real.

In Your grace, keep us steadfast and tender,

until all creation finds its home in You.

In Your mercy, may we always find our way back home.

Amen.