Coming Home

What a beautiful Christmes Eve service, wasn't it? A packed house, the the sight and sound of excited kids in the air, candles dancing in the darkness as we sang and celebrated the birth of Jesus together like a family. Wow.

Paul shared about 'coming home in his heart', and as that happened CoHo began to feel like his home. I too, appreciated the song that he'd written giving voice to the pilgrimmage idea of 'coming home'.

The worship in song and verse was powerful. Marcia brought Mary's struggle to life with 'Breath of Heaven'. Glen, Ryan, Daryl and Bryan lead us masterfully into the presence of God. Thanks for everyone who served to make it a special night.

On Christmas Day we gathered as a smaller family, but the spirit was no less present. From Bev V.'s great story of travelling home to their family reunion in Abottsford at Thanksgiving, to Kristie's fabulous story in song of Mary, to ending with Deborah playing Feliz Navidad, it was a great morning.

I was touched on Christmas morning when I spoke with Mona, who shared how much she loves to come to church every Sunday. It's been nearly seven years since they came to Canada as a family, and CoHo is like 'coming home' every Sunday. Yeah God!

For me that is a great metaphor of love and acceptance. Since perception is 9/10 of our reality, it's difficult to find peace when we're not at home in our own heart. Coming home has more to do with finding peace in our own heart than being in any specific geographical location. As Christ followers we know that Jesus offers the peace we so much desire. Follow the scriptures home:

Luke1:26-33,38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left.

Luke 2:26-32
The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, "Lord, now I can die in peace! As you promised me, I have seen the Savior you have given to all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!"

Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!

John 1:14
So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.

Years ago Brian Adams penned a tune that echoes some of these sentiments. You can almost hear the words as a prayer to God,

All those nights I've spent alone,
Uninspired, so tired and wasted.
There's lots of times I'd have telephoned,
I couldn't find the words to say,

I'm coming home,
Lord I'm coming home
I'll make it short,
I'll make it sweet,
Make it up to you and me.
I'm not the same guy I used to be,
What can I do to make you believe,

I'm coming home,
Oh I'm coming home.
I'm coming home,
Yeah I'm coming home.
Only seems like yesterday,
You and I were sayin' goodbye,
Now I'm just a few miles away
Gonna see you tonight.

I've been alone and I live the pain,
Reach for you in desperation.
I was wrong, I'll take the blame,
I need you back now I just can't wait,

I'm coming home
Yeah I'm coming home.
Coming home,
I'm just coming, coming,
Waiting it out.
I'm just coming home.