Tie a Yellow Ribbon

 

I wonder if you’ve heard of the song “Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree” sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. We mentioned it at our new church service on the Oxmoor on Sunday, the Carpenters Arms. Mark is kindly going to play the song at the end of this thought for the day.

It’s quite an old song- 1973, so it wouldn’t quite count for in with the sixties out with the sixties, and it was released before some of us were born, but it’s quite a nice song, and it has been mentioned before on a Thought for the Day by Kath Pawlett.

It tells the story of a guy who has just done his time, perhaps in prison or a military establishment, but he has fallen out with his missus. Not knowing whether she will have him back or not, he writes to her and says, that he’s coming back home on the bus on such and such a day, and if she will have him home to restart the relationship then she should tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree near their house. If he doesn’t see a yellow ribbon he’ll just stay on the bus and he’ll know that he needs to move on and start a new life without her.

But if he sees a ribbon, he’ll get the message that he should step off the bus and restart his life with her.

Well as the bus approaches his home, he tells this story to the driver and the other passengers on the bus. Will the yellow ribbon be on the Ole oak tree to give him the message that he’s welcome home? He’s so nervous that he can’t look.

And then the whole bus erupts into cheering. He opens his eyes to see a hundred yellow ribbons tied around the old oak tree!

Well for me it’s a wonderful picture of God’s love. If we will just come back to him through Jesus Christ, he welcomes us with open arms. Nothing in our past is too big to get in the way. His forgiveness and his power to change is such that whatever we’ve done and whoever we’ve become he will have us back.

Perhaps you are wondering if God could forgive you, or God would ever have you home. Perhaps you feel too bad to come back to God. Well let this song remind you of his welcoming heart of love, say sorry, and come home.

Charlie Newcombe, 08/06/2023