When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he  gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men.   Matthew 2:16

Growing up I became used to making new friends, new schools, new towns and new homes. This was the life of a preacher’s kid in the Methodist church. Every June, each minister was faced with the possibility of moving to a new church assignment.

When I was preparing to graduate from seminary, my wife and I had been praying about where we were to go and what God’s plan was for our life. As we sought the Lord about what was one of our biggest life decisions, we both heard Him say to us “Go home.” For many people, that statement would have made perfect sense. But for someone who had lived in 16 place by the time they graduated college, it was hard to pinpoint home.

Home is where the heart is.   Gaius Plinius Secundas – Pliny the Elder – (AD 23 –  AD 79)

As graduation day approached it had become clear to us where home was. Though it might have been easier for God to say, “Move to New York City or even Africa”, we discovered something far more valuable than a destination. Home is where family is, home is where you are known and loved. The location is not as important as the people who love you, something I thank my family and the Methodist Church for.

The Christmas season is the time of  hope. The Father loved us so much that He sent His Son into the world to reveal His love and bring us home to Him.  To know the Father’s love is to find home. It doesn’t matter where you go, where you live, what you do, or even what happens in life; you can always be at home in the Father’s love.

The Christmas season is also a time of great loneliness and despair. There are people all around you during Advent that need to come home. They need to know they are loved.

Do you know how much the Father loves you? Make time during this holiday to see those who are homeless, those who need to be loved.  “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” – 1 John 4:16

We love, because He first loved us.   1 John 4:19

 

Suggested Longer Reading:  Matthew 2:12-23

 

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Just in case you missed something: Advent Series