“Home is where the heart is” (Full Service)
Sermon begins at 26:12
“Home is where the heart is"
Where is home for you? Is it a place or is it a feeling? Is it an assortment of special people? or a
collection of family memories?
Going “home” for Christmas is part of the holiday tradition for so many of us…whether it be
students going home on their winter break, grandparents travelling to see their grandchildren, or whole families travelling to one home for a family gathering. But occasionally, for a variety of reasons, traditions change, and sometimes new traditions are started.
Imagine with me for a moment, that by chance, you happened upon the main people in the Christmas story last week …and you posed this common question… Are you going home for Christmas this year? … How do you think they would have responded?
Let’s begin with Mary and Joseph…
No doubt, Mary and Joseph would’ve answered…no, in fact we’ve left our home in Nazareth to participate in the census in Bethlehem, Joseph’s birthplace. And so, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, to fulfill the Biblical prophecy about the coming of the Messiah in the City of David.
And what about the angels?
No doubt, the angels would’ve answered, no, in fact we’re leaving our heavenly home so that we can sing in the heavenly choir, announcing the good news of the Saviour’s birth to the shepherds.
And what about those same shepherds?
No doubt, the shepherds would’ve answered… no, in fact we’re already away from our homes, tending our sheep out in the fields. But we’re leaving our makeshift beds under the stars so that we can be the first witnesses to the birth of our promised Saviour…
And what about the wise men?
No doubt, the wise men would’ve said no, in fact, we are beginning a very long journey away from home, following the light of the star in search of this baby who is to be born.
And then there’s Jesus himself….
No doubt, Emmanuel, God-with-us would’ve answered if he could… don’t you know, I left my heavenly home, to be born in human flesh in a “far country?” I left my home in order to fulfill my Father’s mission for me…to reconcile the world to myself. And so, you will find me in my first earthly home, with a feeding trough lined with straw as my cradle.
Have you noticed what these folks all had in common? In response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, each one in the Christmas story was on the move… with a clear purpose…moving away from home…away from the familiar, the comfortable, the routine, and the safe…having been called by the Spirit to be witnesses to the new life that is found in Jesus!
Walter Brueggeman has said, and I paraphrase…at Christmas, God has brought newness by sending Jesus into the world…Jesus who is beyond our imagination, who brought healing and grace everywhere he went, who forgave and transformed and called people out beyond themselves to a newness they could not have imagined.
And God is calling us out beyond ourselves too, to a newness that we could not have imagined!
He calls us to move away from a life where we are firmly in the centre, to a life that is centred in Emmanuel, God with us! By accepting who Jesus is…the Word of God made flesh… by accepting what Jesus has done for us in dying for our sins…and by moving towards him in repentance; as spiritually hungry, empty, and unworthy as we are…we move toward the light of his presence and experience him fully as the nourisher of our hearts and souls. We experience being “at home” with him because “our hearts” are tuned to him in whatever places and circumstances we find ourselves!
In coming to earth, Jesus Christ was like a “spiritual home” for each one who believed in him… …the centre of Mary and Joseph’s adoration, the centre of the angel’s praise, the centre of the shepherd’s mission, and the centre of the wise men’s worship.
So today, as we stand on the threshold of a New Year, let’s consider God’s call to us as we move forward into 2024. Let’s ask ourselves this question? Has Jesus become home for you… home for me? Does the Christ Child have a central place in our hearts? If so, we are perfectly placed to “be at home in Christ” regardless of where geographically Jesus calls us to be.
In today’s scripture we read “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29: 11-13)
You may recognize these prophetic verses spoken by the one who was known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. In fact, we have a banner in the Christian Education Hall with one of these verses on it. Christians have often used these verses as “life verses” of God’s promises to them. However, by doing so, some of the richness of the passage in its original context has been lost.
For these verses were addressed to the Israelites about 600 years before Jesus came. The context was that the Israelites found themselves far from home, living under God’s judgment for sin. They were in captivity in Babylon …as punishment for their idolatry and their disobedience to Yahweh…and the bad news was that their captivity would last for another 70 years… In fact, many of the Israelites lived as exiles in Babylon throughout their whole lives. And yet nevertheless, Jeremiah spoke a message of hope to those held captive, far away from home. He declared that God still had plans for his people …to prosper them and not to harm them…plans for a future and a hope.
This prophetic passage also gives hope to those who are going through similar demanding life challenges right now…it addresses those who feel as if the darkness is closing in … those who are worried, anxious, or depressed… those for whom the future appears bleak, hopeless, or at best uncertain. Perhaps this is how you are feeling today!
When we feel burdened by situations beyond our control, let’s remember that the God who created the universe is the God who is still in control of our lives. If we seek him with all our hearts, even in the very the midst of our pain, God has promised to listen to our prayers and give us peace. Jesus himself said in Matthew’s gospel, “ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (meaning all of the necessities of life) will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ (Matthew 6: 33-34)
In response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, each one of us can also be on the move for him…moving with a clear purpose…at times God calls us in the midst of the familiar and the ordinary … to be witnesses to the light of Jesus shining in the darkness to our own families, neighbours and friends…to be his witnesses to new life in Jesus right where we’re planted! At other times, God calls us out of our comfort zones to serve him. As an example, this morning you’ve heard from Janelle, who is answering God’s call to share God’s love on a DOXA mission trip in February to the people in the Dominican Republic. In answering God’s call, Janelle is also taking a step of faith that that she will receive the funds that she needs to go on the trip. And by telling us about her trip, she has given each of us in this fellowship the opportunity to partner with her by praying for her and for those she meets on her trip, in encouraging her or, if we are able, in donating towards her travel expenses…in this way, we too can be an integral part of the same mission that God is calling Janelle to.
As we look forward to a New Year that spreads out before us, let’s not be tempted to slip back into the familiar patterns of living our lives without re-examining our motivations and our priorities. Seeking the safe and familiar is a natural tendency, to be sure. Particularly in this time of global insecurity, everywhere there’s a heightened sense of anxiety… we feel at times as if the world itself is spinning out of control. When fear is knocking at our own doors, we long to feel more secure. But we need to remind ourselves that real security can only be found in Christ Jesus! We can only rest secure because of the relationship we share as children of God and joint heirs with Christ. It is Jesus himself who is the anchor who will hold us fast even during the storms of life.
And so, let’s respond “Yes” to God’s calling us to something new…just like the people in the Christmas story did! God’s call is to newness of life…abundant life…joyful life through the gift of Jesus who came into the world… Jesus modelled for us what a life of obedience to God, of service, of sacrificial giving and of compassion for the weak, the vulnerable and the poor looks like. In daily communion with God through the Holy Spirit…by studying his Word and bringing all of our needs to God in prayer… we will experience his joy unspeakable and full of glory! We will experience the newness of life that God offers us! We will respond to God’s nudge when he wants us to reach out in service of others. If we embrace Christ’s presence in us through the Holy Spirit and ask God to reveal himself to us, he will give us many opportunities to serve him in new ways as God’s hands and feet in the world and we will be richly blessed beyond measure!
Opportunities to speak truth and life into people’s lives also present themselves whenever and wherever people gather…be it a hospital waiting room, a grocery store lineup, a dog park, a place of work or learning…a neighbour’s kitchen…your own sidewalk…a family get together…the local gym…literally anywhere. The world is waiting to hear the good news of Jesus. But do you remember what the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans …that before anyone can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them. (Romans 10:14).
In 1st Peter we read, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1st Peter 3:15) As Christians, we are called to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us! And the hope that we must share with others is that Jesus saves. He will save us from our sins and give us newness of life if we put our trust in him.
Today’s message also applies to us collectively as members of Christ’s Body, the Church. It is through the Church that the message of salvation is proclaimed! Each of us has a unique set of gifts that God has given us to be used here. We may not be all be tech savvy, or musically inclined, or able to teach, but there are many other practical ways that we can contribute to the mission of the body of Christ. For those who are not able to come out to worship, you can pray for the church and its leaders from your own home. Knowing that you are praying for us is a huge encouragement to us. As each of us becomes more involved in fellowship with the people and the life of the church, the more we will be engaged in sharing the gospel, the more the Church will be strengthened, and the more we will become a blessing to others.
As we enter 2024, let’s invite Jesus himself to call us out beyond ourselves, to be open to doing a new thing… to be open to a newness of life that we could never have imagined! May Jesus himself become home for us! Happy New Year!