On the first Sunday of Advent, a friend joined me for a visit to St. James UMC in Greenville. On the ride there as, we were catching up with each other and our lives, I mentioned feeling different this Christmas. As any good friend would do, she dug more deeply into the statement. I went on to say that for the first time in my life, I just felt even…no short fuses…no tears at sappy movies… no snorting laughter…just present and sort of going through the motions.
This was before we entered St. James and heard the first sermon of their Advent Series entitled, “Homesick.” About halfway through the message from their young Pastor Garrett Rea, I knew I was homesick on so many levels. Christmas isn’t the same without my mother. She made everything beautiful and meaningful. Add both of my daughters moving away…one to Japan…and it REALLY isn’t the same. I miss what “home” felt like during this season for me.
Do we even want to talk about the pandemic? After two years of it, my church family has changed. So many people who I learned, loved, and served with…no longer attend services with us. Their hearts… their smiles…the way they loved Christ and other people…made me feel at home within the walls of my church. I miss what “home” felt like there with them too.
The world often seems beyond repair. We can all feel hopeless and homesick occasionally. Yet, the season of Advent reminds us that this moment in a time is just a part of the journey toward HOME. Each day is a step on the path from what we want so much for the here and the now…to what will be for eternity.
Something in the way this gifted pastor reminded me of everything that I already knew…opened the doors of my heart to feel the wonder of the season. I even snorted out loud with laughter at the young boy seated in the pew in front me! JOY! It reminded me that what I missed about this time of year with my mother, my daughters, and my Sunday School sisters…was the big and unconditional way they loved me, each other, AND the Lord. The ways in which we connected to each and to God was what felt like home to me. Those relationships and connections aren’t gone forever. Home isn’t gone either; it has shifted outside of our comfortable and confining walls. Staying connected takes a bit more creativity now for sure.
God has placed me in sanctuaries across this district where He continues to use congregations and clergy to remind me that our HOME is bigger than my prior limited definition. We are one in Christ in a million beautiful ways and locations. I give Him such praise and glory for getting me where I need to go in so many unexpected ways.
Everyone should be introduced to the overwhelming sense of love a life with Christ offers. Every person needs to experience the empowering feeling of hope His promise provides. All people deserve the security of belonging to a home beyond the brick-and-mortar walls of our houses and church buildings. We are all connected.
The comfort of a loving home for everyone, where peace prevails, and a life that is so much MORE than what we can even fathom…is coming. So, in the time left of Advent, let someone know that they belong just as they are today. Let them see Christ and the promise He offers alive in you. Invite them to a place where they can stop wandering and find a connection. Let your light shine in a way that illuminates the path HOME.
“People, look east. The time is near of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, Trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east and sing today: Love, the guest, is on the way.”
From the Hymn “People Look East”
If you would like to view past editions of A Message from Kim, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/from-district-lay-leader/
If you would like to connect with Kim please do so through her email, k.smith@nccumc.org