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“Come home, come home, come home…Come home for Christmas. Let your heart return once again to the joy and the peace, the love and the hope. It’s all right here waiting for you to come home for Christmas, and come for good.” This is the chorus to Matthew West’s brand spanking new Christmas song, “Come Home For Christmas”.

Sometimes it’s nice to just go home, ain’t it? I can’t speak for anyone else reading this devotion, but for me personally…I long to just be home. Not at work…not driving around…FO-SHO not out shopping. I love to just be home. My favorite moments are relaxing at home with my wife right beside me, hearing my “kids” laugh, having my 2 chihuahua-cats and our German Shepherd who thinks he’s a chihuahua all lying around us and enjoying…well…just being home.

Guy Pearce said, “The thrill of coming home has never changed.” Wendy Wunder stated, “The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” Home. It is believed to have come from Pliny the Elder, the phrase: “Home is where the heart is”.

About midway through this song of Matthew West is this line: “How long has it been since you and your heart talked to Jesus?” Whoa! Think about that for a moment. We try to pray at meal times. We try to pray when we first wake up and/ or when we go to bed. We try to pray throughout the day when things are going like we wished they would.

We pray. We talk to Jesus…but are we truly praying with all our heart? Are we living out loud what we claim to believe? Are we truly coming home on the constant to spend all our time with Jesus? Or…are we simply trying to FaceTime Him in case of emergencies or out of obligation? Come home.

Come home. Statistics last December showed that only 66% of the South attended Church during Christmas (64% for Midwest; 57% for Northeast; 53% from the West). Come Home. These same statistics from churchleaders.com showed that women are 10% more likely to attend Church services at Christmas time than men, and that those 18-24 years old are the least likely group to come to church. Come home.

The Billy Graham Association shows that 82% of people would come to church if only a friend would invite them. So…hey, come home. Come worship with us. I cordially invite you right now to come to church. “The joy and peace, the love and the hope” are waiting for you. Please… Come home.

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.