December 14, 2021

Dear friends,

I’ve told y’all about my dog, Bailey, before. Bailey is my dog that wants to be around me all of the time. In this past week, we’ve had a lot of workers in the house due to some unforeseen circumstances, so Bailey has had to stay outside. Of course, he and our other dog Lucy have plenty to do, food, and water. But Bailey still follows me around. No matter which room I’m occupying in the house, Bailey is there at the window. Banging on the sliding glass door, barking to gently remind me that he is still there, and he is still separated from me, which is not okay with him.

In our scriptures during Advent, we’ve talked a lot about the theme of coming “home.” We, of course, realize that home is not a safe space for a lot of people, but the theme holds up I think particularly as we are able to come “home” into the sanctuary once again for the Advent season. And Bailey’s home is wherever I am.

St. Augustine has a great quote in his confessions where he said, “my heart is restless until it rests in You.” I understand this restlessness. It is the restlessness of things not happening fast enough. It is the restlessness of things being out of our control. It is the restlessness that we are not where we want to be. So, as we are calling one another home this Christmas, or we are calling home, let's pay attention to our restlessness. Where are we restless, and why?

How can we rest at home with our Savior? In a season of stress, where are our hearts longing to rest in God?

Peace,

Jordan