"Everyone is just trying to get home" - December 23

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 111, 113; Isa. 28:9-22; Rev. 21:9-21; Luke 1:26-38

Our dear friend Hollie gave Sam (my husband) a book recently called The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Sam was moved by its invitation to reflection and vulnerability. After hearing the two of them extol its virtues, I pulled the book from the living room shelf the other day and read it. What I saw in this work by Charlie Mackesy was a little bit of Winnie the Pooh, a little bit of Proverbs, and beautifully messy illustrations, like life. Among the many sage one-liners within the pages of this lovely piece of art, what resonated with me this morning was a line from the mole, one of the four characters in this book. The mole says, “I think everyone is just trying to get home.”

The people in Isaiah were in exile, far from their native home. Everything was different. Even the priests and others faithful to Yahweh were weary and tired, out of God’s land and away from their place of comfort and rest. The prophet called out to the Hebrew people, prophesying to them to open their ears. What they heard was drivel and noise; the words did not make sense and they were not paying attention. Their faith had waned. Their home in exile was a space of discomfort and trial. Yet, God’s promise continued: a home in Zion with sure foundation and level stones.

There is a Christmas standard I usually hear during this time: “There’s no place like home for the holidays…” As we bear down on the final days of Advent, before the breaking forth of Christmas morning and the celebration of the birth of a long-promised baby named Jesus, I am wondering where the home of your heart is today. Do you feel conflict or tension with the home of others’ expectation? Said another way: do those around you understand what home means to you? Do your family or friends have other hopes and visions of what “home for the holidays” looks like? There are spaces of stress during Christmas leaving us feeling torn and expected in multiple places – and this year, with COVID-19 cases skyrocketing and hospitals diverting patients to other facilities, many families and friends are revising what homes they will visit during Christmas. Maybe you feel heartbroken that the homes and people of your holiday routine are disrupted and absent. Perhaps that leaves you relieved that you are staying at your own residence in peace. Or, due to loss or change, your current home is no longer a place you recognize or want to be. If, as the mole says, we are all trying to get home, where are you longing to be today?

Regardless of where you find yourself right now, know these two things: you are not alone and you are deeply loved by God. Saint Stephen’s is holding a service for The Longest Night tonight at 6:30 p.m. to honor those spaces of emptiness, loss, and disappointment that collide with the gaity of the Christmas season. I invite you read a short reflection on The Longest Night service, and then join us online on YouTube or Facebook to find rest and refreshment in music, prayer, a short sermon, and knowing that our virtual gathering is a real gathering in the presence and home of God.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection



Where is home for you today? Who is in that home with you? Who do you miss? Who brings you most peace in that space?

Daily Challenge

Take three minutes to breathe deeply and imagine a space of home with God. Imagine a space of completeness and perfection. Let go of the clutter that impedes your movement in that home. Feel gratitude for the beauty and oneness in that space. Now, open your eyes and reconnect with what is presently around you. Continue that space of gratitude of the home of now, and cling to the hope of that more perfect home, with God’s help.