We have a young man in our church family who is in the military. He is now on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Every now and then I drive down the street where his mom and dad live here in Houston… and I’m always touched to see that they have yellow ribbons on all of the trees in the front yard.

The “yellow ribbon” is a dramatic part of our culture now. It means:

- “We love you!”
- “We miss you!”
- “You are wanted and treasured and welcome here!”
- “Please hurry home!”

… The yellow ribbon is a powerful and eloquent symbol for the sentiment: “You are loved and wanted and welcome here… but… where in the world did that idea come from? Well, … probably from a hit recording made some years ago by Tony Orlando.

In 1973, Tony Orlando recorded the song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak …