And [Jesus] said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown."

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and then he went a way for a little while. When he came back, the folks in the synagogue apparently invited him to read from the Scriptures, and to teach the people about what was in them. His words were surprising. And then, in this week's reading, we find Jesus musing on how hard it can be to come home. What prophet is accepted in his own hometown? Certainly not Jesus. In the end, he speaks his mind, and angers everyone. He narrowly escapes getting hurled off a cliff at the edge of town. (Hopefully, your homecomings aren't quite that problematic!)

Whether or not you think of yourself as a prophet, perhaps you've had moments when you felt it was hard to go home again. People had old expectations of you, and they didn't really fit with how you'd changed and grown. People assumed you'd be the same person you were when you'd last been around.

Or perhaps you find it a relief to go to the place where you grew up. Maybe that's the one place where you can let your guard down, the place where you feel most like yourself. Or maybe you find yourself having all kinds of mixed feelings about trying to go home again - some days it works, and some days it doesn't.

When Jesus went back to Nazareth, he wasn't the same person he'd been when he left. He'd been baptized, for one thing. He wandered in the wilderness, grappling with who he was, and who God was calling him to be. He saw his life differently. He had a new sense of purpose, and it changed everything he did. It changed how he saw the world. That's a lot to carry back into one's home synagogue (or church). Everyone just saw Jesus as Joseph's son, the kid who'd grown up playing in the neighborhood. Do any of Jesus' experiences sound familiar?

I don't know about you, but I find immense comfort in the idea that God knows what it's like to grow up. After all, who is Jesus but God in the flesh, living with us, living as one of us? God knows what it means to negotiate all the pitfalls of growing and changing and becoming an adult. God knows what it's like to discover new meaning in life, and to struggle to share that meaning with those who still see you as a kid. It's a process that looks a little different for each of us, and at some point we all have to find our own path... but it's not a path we have to walk alone. God's been there, and God walks the road with us. We may have a hard time in our hometown, but God's love is always a place of welcome and understanding. That's a lot to be thankful for.