If you’ve ever spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas abroad then you know that it isn’t quite the same as spending Christmas here in the U.S., at your own home, around family and friends. Back in the early ‘90s I spent Christmas and Thanksgiving in a foreign country, and it was tough to get into that “holiday spirit”. With the recent economic collapse, not to mention the fires in Southern California, and other natural disasters it is likely many won’t spend the holidays in the normal, familiar, setting of their own homes. It is true that “home” can really be where your family is, in other words, it’s not so much about the structure you’re hold up in, it has more to do with the people you’re with.
Spiritually, people go abroad, to a “far off country” just like the prodigal. That isn’t to say that everyone out there is “living wildly” like the prodigal son did. It may be that they are in crisis, or perhaps weighed down with anxiety, fear, and despair. Or something catastrophic has happened to them, and they’re left to deal with circumstances that are completely out of their control. For whatever reasons gathering with God’s people just isn’t appealing. For some of us we’ve been physically present (even on-time most weeks), but in our hearts we’ve been far from home, far from Jesus.
The holidays are a time when many return home from their journeys abroad to seek reconnection, encouragement, or just the comfort of God’s presence in a church sanctuary. Regardless of the circumstances or even the wild living of prodigals the church is the place where people can come home. It should feel right; it should feel like you’re with family. It shouldn’t feel awkward, because you’re not a guest you’re a family member who has been on a journey, and has returned home!
During this Thanksgiving and Christmas season at Wasatch Hills we’re here to say, “Welcome home!” Whatever journey you’ve traveled or whatever “trip” you’ve been on we invite you to come and settle in with us as we express thanksgiving, adoration, and praise to Jesus.