Advent 5 - Welcome Home!

DAY 5 - Welcome Home
Ephesians 1:4-6

You are loved.

You are welcome.

You have a home.

Can you believe it? You have a home with God through Jesus Christ! Many people feel homeless and lonely. A survey from 2019 shows that 58% of Americans often felt like no one in their life knew them well. Many people experience loneliness during the holidays. You may feel lonely sometimes or a lot of the time.

According to the National Institute on Aging, “Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, and even death.”

Loneliness isn’t the same as being alone. Solitude has many benefits but God made us to be with others in a family. Some researchers put it this way: “Isolation is being by yourself. Loneliness is not liking it.”

Knowing you have a home in God’s family is an antidote to feeling alone. You’re invited to be part of God’s faith-filled family! Can you believe it?

Everyone's invited to God's faith-filled family. Because we are loved and welcomed by God, we must reach out with God’s invitation to others. God wants us to show people they are loved. God calls us to reach out to people who feel homeless and to people who are actually homeless.

In 2021, 580k Americans - 17% of the population - were homeless. No surprise, homelessness has many negative effects on people: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Homelessness is a terrible social evil.

But you can make a difference. You can show people, through your words and your actions, that everyone’s invited to God’s faith-filled family. Call someone. Invite someone out for a meal. Visit someone you haven’t see in a while. Buy food for someone who’s hungry. Volunteer at a shelter like C-U at Home. Get involved in public policy to reduce homelessness.

There are so many ways to show people God’s love and invitation. After all, the best gifts are the ones we share.

REFLECT
How does it feel to know you are welcome in God’s family?
How can you share God’s invitation with someone?

PRAYER
Faithful God, your promises stand unshaken through all generations. Renew us in hope, that we may be awake and alert watching for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our judge and savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.