Christmas is about home. It’s the comfort of hot cocoa by a warm fire, the joy of sparkling lights strung on a tree, and the peaceful sound of carols as the soundtrack to our days.
But it’s also about leaving home. It’s the story of a young woman, traveling far from the familiar to give birth to her firstborn in a stable. It’s about a carpenter, leaving his hometown to set out on a journey with his bride-to-be.
It’s shepherds abandoning the warmth of a campfire to look for a babe in a barn, and wisemen, leaving their country to follow a star to an unknown destination.
Above all, it’s about a king who left heaven to enter a messed up world.
He came to fulfill the plan he had from the beginning of time— that he, himself, would be our home. We were created to live forever in the lap of our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. The warmth of a fire, the joy of sparkling lights, and the peaceful sound of carols are precious but can’t compare to the treasure we have in him.
No matter where life has taken us this Christmas, we can snuggle deeply into Christ and know we are home.
And if circumstances have us under our own roof and struggling to create a perfect holiday, we can relax and consider that Christmas is perfect because of Christ, not because of what we do. After all, the very first celebration was flawless and it was hosted by livestock.
There’s no place like home for the holidays, as that great theologian, Perry Como, reminds us. And in Christ, no matter how far away we roam, we are always home sweet home.
Lord, from generation to generation, you have been our home. Psalm 90:1