Yoder: Come Home for Christmas
By Kathy Yoder
The aging pastor wasn’t exactly sure when he became old. One day he was young and fit as a fiddle, as his father always said. And the next day, he found it challenging to bend over and tie his shoes.
Right out of seminary school, he was called to serve a small town congregation in the middle of the country. The church, a white clapboard structure, is like the ones often portrayed on the Christmas cards he remembers from his childhood. The image harkens back to a simpler time. It makes you nostalgic for a town and a time that most people today have never seen. Yet, you want to live in a place just like that.
The church’s double front doors open directly into the sanctuary. In fact, when you step inside the church you’re standing in the aisle that leads all the way up to the pulpit. It’s interesting how in one footstep, you leave the smells, sights, and sounds of the outdoors and enter into a hushed and reverent space. Many people say they feel the presence of God here.
The Stain-glass windows are beautiful. The light shines through the timeless image of baby Jesus lying in the manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, an angel and the animals. Other windows depict Jesus with the disciples, as the Good Shepherd, up on the cross, and risen from the dead.
There’s a bell tower located toward the top of the church. Without hearing them, you know the bells sound spectacular. The pastor remembers. When he approached the church for the first time, a congregant rang the bells. Clear and lyrical, they filled the air with hope. The pastor also believed they were the sound of God calling him specifically to this place and this time.
As the bells pealed across the miles, the congregation poured out of the church to celebrate their new pastor. He was surprised and also very touched. They made him feel as if he was coming home after being gone for a long time.
The fresh, young pastor originally thought that he’d stay in this community for a few years, get some experience, and then move on to a bigger, more sophisticated church in a large city. At that time, like most of the pastors he knew, he thought bigger was better. But the moment he heard the church bells and saw the people there to welcome him, he knew that he was truly home.
The old pastor sits in a pew in the sanctuary remembering all this. He originally arrived here the day before Christmas Eve. The next day he preached his very first sermon. It was entitled, “Coming Home.” The congregation thought it was one of the best sermons they’d ever heard. Simple and direct, he said that he felt he was coming home. Then he talked about Christmas.
“We all have expectations when the holidays come around. We’re busy making preparations for the meal, for the presents, for our family. But we forget our true family. The family of God. We forget that our fellow church members are our true brothers and sisters in Christ. We forget that someday, we’ll spend eternity together. We need to form lasting relationships here on earth. Now. To not only attend church with our neighbors, but to help and support one another all week long.
“We need to be congregations who live out the life of Jesus every day of our lives here on earth. Look at the people sitting next to you. Now look across the room. Who are the people you don’t know but merely say ‘Good Morning’ to on Sundays? Each one is our neighbor. Each one is important. Each one, if they’re truly born again believers, will be with us in heaven one day. Just as you so graciously welcomed me here yesterday, welcome one another. After all, we are blood-bought children of the King of all eternity.
“Come home to Christmas in the most important way. Never forget that the baby Jesus we so often see portrayed in the manger gave up His royalty to humbly be born on this earth. Why? For the very specific purpose of saving us from our sins. Wow. That beautiful little baby became the Savior of the world. That’s the best Christmas present we’ll ever receive. The only one that fits all. The only one that never wears out, but lasts for eternity.
“Maybe you’ve never given your life to the Lord. Maybe you did, but you’ve strayed from your faith and want to recommit your life today. Whatever your story. Whatever you’ve done. Come to the altar. Declare your faith in the Christmas baby who became the Good Shepherd and the very Lamb of God. Come home for Christmas. Come home today.”
The altar was full that day. Lives were saved for eternity. The church became one family. And the pastor knew in his heart that he’d never leave this church until the Lord called him home.
Seventy years later that’s exactly what happened. The old church bells hadn’t worked for years. But after the elderly pastor gave the sermon and everyone left, he sat in the pew reflecting and thanking the Lord. That’s when he saw his first angel. As the church bells rang out one more time, the angel led the pastor home to heaven. He celebrated Christmas day with his Savior. He came home for Christmas.
Kathy Yoder is a devotional writer and Christian author. She is reachable at Kathyyoder4@gmail.com and Kathyyoder.com.
