Did you celebrate Christmas at home this year? As Perry Como popularly sang, our culture tells us that “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” Yet, not everyone has a place that feels like home. While some people have lived in the same town or even in the same house for many decades, others have moved year after year, or find “home” to be unsafe or precarious. Still others have had to leave home behind under threat of violence, natural disaster, or political persecution.

Today, Matthew’s gospel reminds us that Jesus’ life was marked more by movement and displacement than by a settled existence. Jesus warned an eager would-be follower about the risks of a life of discipleship, saying, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matt.—8:20). But Jesus’ goal was not to find home for himself; instead it was to become a resting place for those who struggle to find one in this world.

In this Christmas season, the story of Jesus proclaimed in Christian assemblies calls us to look around for those who feel unwelcome in this world. We are called to seek out those who have no home, or who have lost their home in physical or emotional ways. Led on by our God who often had no comfortable resting place, the Christian community is called to witness to the home we experience in Christ’s love by serving those who seek one.

Excerpt from sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2019 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.