Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash
Home
Home. What a wonderful word. Just mentioning it brings thoughts of warm apple pies, a cheery fire in the winter, or maybe a family game of bocce ball in the summer. Just saying it feels good, doesn’t it?
I have a friend who once said, “Home is where the mattress fits!” And I think we can just about all agree with that…there’s just no place like home! Especially on the holidays! Of course, we all know that there are places where people live together as families that don’t have that “homey” feeling. Where harsh words and abuse are the norm, rather than hugs and support. But what does the Bible tell us our homes are meant to be?
I would submit to you that the home is the first institution mentioned in the Bible. I think God did that on purpose to let us know that the home is the most important institution in His Creation. He didn’t create Adam and Eve and then give them the institution of the church, or the government, or even the Ten Commandments. He instituted the home. And in Deuteronomy, He gave us this admonition:
“Thou shalt teach them (God’s commands) diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house; and when thou walkest in the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up…And thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house and on thy gates.”
Maybe that’s why the home is so important to God, because it is the very center of learning about God. It is our job to teach God personally, intimately, and continuously to our children, and not just to our children (or grandchildren) but to ourselves.
Perhaps this is something we should especially consider during the wonderful Advent Season and Christmas. I’m very pleased that our son’s family celebrates a Shepherd’s Supper on Christmas Eve, reading the true Christmas story, eating the foods that the shepherds might have eaten, sitting in their bathrobes in front of the fireplace with no electric lights. I think that is wonderful and meaningful. Do you have a family tradition to share with others? There must be a meaningfulness in the things we do, be it lighting the advent candles and reading the Bible, or softly singing Christmas carols. We can make this time rich, special, and memorable. We can make it homey.
I pray this Christmas will be a joy-filled, meaningful season in your life and in the lives of those you touch — neighbors, friends, relatives, or unknown folks in the stores or in the street. Let the joy of the season fill you to overflowing and then spill out to those around you.
Merry Christmas and a meaningful, happy new year to one and all!
Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash