Teens

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Homecoming – A Tradition of Revelry
by Dan Blankenship
© 2006 Dan Blankenship

According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, the Homecoming tradition was started between 1910 and 1915 at the University of Illinois. And the celebration that surrounds the Homecoming football game has turned into a national occurrence in the months of September and October.

Just about every high school and college has a little bit more electricity in the campus atmosphere as the weekend of Homecoming approaches. Signs are placed and painted around the school and the surrounding community. Students vie for the title of Homecoming King and Queen. Parades are planned and pep rallies launched. Homecoming is a weekend party for the alumni!

Now most of the events that surround Homecoming are positive and fun. Football players train hard to win the big game. Students are filled with school spirit and can’t wait to cheer for their team as they go to work on the gridiron. The hype adds a bounce in students’ steps, the celebration causes smiles and laughs, and the community usually comes together as one body to make the event a memorable one.

But there are things about Homecoming that have marred the tradition. Underage drinking, car accidents, and vandalism have been just a few of the things that make Homecoming week an event that can result in tragedy and heartache.

Homecoming week should not be considered a time to ignore common sense and rules and regulations put in place for good cause. Revelry does not necessarily mean chaos, nor does youthfulness make one immune from serious injury or prosecution by the law.

While the following verses represent truths for this world and the eternal world, the declaration also rings true concerning survival on any level, even the football field: “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 (NIV).

Homecoming can be a time of fun and enjoyment for all participants, especially when everyone involved remembers to be safe during the celebration. The best way to avoid the temptation to take the course of danger and recklessness is to think about consequences of such a navigational direction. Mentally picture the car accident that can result from riding along with someone who has been drinking alcohol. Read a few articles about teen vandalism and the hours of community service that teens have been sentenced to serve. Imagine the mental anguish parents feel when they get that call to come bail their children out of jail.

Wisdom and revelry can exist together; it just takes an extra dose of wisdom sometimes.




Sources: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Homecoming. 10 Oct. 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homecoming

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