Another Road Home

By the Rev. Dr. Evelyn Vigil, Community Church of Sunnyvale-UCC

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew 2:12 (NRSVUE)

Some of us might feel we really messed up, that there is no way to go home again, that our jobs, our health took a hit and our shame keeps us locked in. But like the magi, who realized talking to Herod in the first place was a bad idea, we can go home by another road.

One afternoon downtown, I ducked into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, hoping for a bite while waiting out the rain. “Hey, chaplain. How you doing?” a man called from one of the tables. From his greeting, I recognized him as a member of my congregation at the jail where I served as a chaplain. “Doing great. How are you? Where are you these days?” I asked. He was a big, middle-aged guy who had seen his share of trouble, but he took another road home and found joy and peace. He rented a small apartment and found a part-time job stocking shelves at a store. He rose early to pray and then walked to his daughter’s house to walk his grandchildren to school. He met them after school and walked them home, waiting for their parents to return so they could eat dinner together as a family.

He was tired of jail so he found new roads that led him home. He changed and everything about his life changed. If he could do it with faith in God and the willingness to walk a new road, there is hope for the rest of us.

Prayer: Gracious God, open our eyes to the paths that lead us to life and away from destruction. Give us strength to follow them. Amen.