First Christmas away from home...(and last?)

Spending Christmas away from home has been bitter sweet. With it creeping up so fast this year there wasn't a lot of time to have it really "feel" like Christmas. Pete Greasley gave a fantastic message last Sunday titled "Home for Christmas" that was perfect for me this Holiday!

Pete explained with all the hype and build up over the Christmas season there is often a let down, disappointment, or sense of longing that comes after the family has left, the presents have been opened, and the food been eaten. He described this as Hiraeth a Welsh term that doesn't have a direct English translation, but describes a profound sense of longing. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' has a quote that communicates Hiraeth vividly:

It is difficult to define Hiraeth, but to me it means the consciousness of man being out of his home area and that which is dear to him. That is why it can be felt even among a host of peoples amidst nature's beauty. . . like a Christian yearning for Heaven. . .

Sunday's message pointed out the longing we feel at Christmas is the longing God put in us for the better life, the better world. Christmas was never meant to fulfill us. The longing goes deeper than just the temporary Christmas holiday, it is the longing for an eternal relationship with our heavenly Father. Ever since the beginning of time we have been exiled from God and rebelled against him. God has a plan to bring the rebel back and to satisfy the longing. All through sending his Son to be born in a stable as the Savior of the world!

As I am away this Holiday I get to experience firsthand the sadness that comes with being away from my Family. Despite the longing I am excited to be able to take a step back and focus on the truth of my Saviors birth and death for me!