Session 24

The longing for home

From A Celebration of Advent: A 25-Day Devotional

We’re all moved to see a soldier come home and scoop up their son or daughter. Witnessing those moments pulls on our heartstrings because engrained deep in all of us is a longing for home. When we gather with friends and family, we get a taste of the homecoming that awaits us in eternity. The holidays tap into a deep longing to be at home with God. 

Jesus knows what it means to be homesick. He spent 33 years separated from His Father on a long-term mission to reconcile humanity to God. When Jesus’ work was done, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). God the Father and God the Son reunited. Because we are sons and daughters of God, one day we will go home to God’s eternal presence. 

The day is coming when we’ll see God face to face. Our longing for home will be complete. Until then, we wait in hope. Galatians 4:6 says, “You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, ‘Papa! Father!’” (MSG). Through God’s Spirit, we can speak to God, hear from God, and feel His presence while we wait for home.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ” - Galatians 4:4-5

Reflect: 

• What does “home” mean for a follower of Jesus? 
  

• How does God comfort us when we miss people or places at Christmas? 
  

• How does the presence of God fill our deepest desires for home?