Pastor's Corner

A fellow who knocked at our door asked me where certain people lived in our Dayton neighborhood. He had grown up nearby. When I told him I didn't know any of the names he mentioned, he said, "Well, I guess what they say is true. Once you leave, you can never go home again".

In the Christmas carol "Hark the Herald" the author writes, "Fix in us Thy humble home". The wonders of Christmas are personal to us because they speak of our home. We have the Lord in our lives, fixing His home in us. Jesus said, "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them and We will come to them and make Our home with them" Jn. 15:23. With Jesus we can always be at home because He lives in the hearts of those who love Him and keep His Word. It is a "fixed home" because our relationship with Him is permanent. We know where to find it. It is in us. He is in us, available to hear our every prayer, gather every tear, strengthen us in every trial, and comfort us in every sorrow. His home within us is a humble home. He doesn't flash a neon sign over it. Without fanfare or worldly acclaim He humbly dwells within the believer and pours His life out through the humble daily life of His child. "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel" (which means, God with us) Mt. 1:23. What a wonderful and amazing promise: God's Home in us!! Christmas is a "celebration of Christ ". Christmas is in us when we place our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior who died on the cross to forgive our sins and was raised from the dead to eternal life. Merry Christmas!