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Home is Where... by Rev. Debbie Kamm Editor |
It is the quintessential early January day in upstate New York as I write this: the gray skies are as sullen as a three year old; the wind, bordering on ferocious, sends the latest delivery of snow from on high swirling; the birds linger at the feeder just outside my window, feathers fluffed up to ward off the bite in the razor sharp air.
The holidays have come and gone – the Christmas Eve candlelight service now a shining memory tucked away for those times when darkness seems unceasing, the New Year welcomed in, with hopes and prayers that this year, the peace of which the angels sang might come to pass. And even though the holidays are over, one can still hear folk talking about how marvelous it was to be home – wherever that home might have been.
The very word “home” paints a nostalgic picture of a yearning for a specific place – who doesn’t want to be home and experience all “home” means, especially during the holidays? To be surrounded by those we love and who love us – to feel the innate comfort of knowing where every piece of furniture is – the places in the floor where the boards creak – of being able to walk through the house in total darkness and not trip - the inexplicable sense of being embraced by the familiar… of being home.
And yet for many in ministry, “home” is often not all that permanent. Clergy tend to be a migratory species – sometimes not by choice and frequently out of necessity. We find ourselves but the most current residents in houses with a long history, and there is a certain delightful challenge in creating one’s own sense of identity in what may prove to be but a temporary setting. We hang pictures and plant gardens – but we know we might not be here for long. We recognize that we truly are “just passing through.”
But there are times when one really and truly is a “settled pastor” – when where we live is more than temporary housing – when we find ourselves really and truly at home. This edition of Minister includes marvelous stories from our colleagues who have found themselves at home in their own homes, and one story encourages us to be about the work of interior housecleaning. And perhaps most marvelous and mysterious of all – each story bears witness to the ways in which the Holy Spirit continues to be at work in our lives – beckoning us to our hearts’ true home – to the Great Heart of God…
Yes, Advent and Christmas and soon Epiphany will be part of the past - but it is my hope these stories, as varied as our experiences and yet grounded in the commonality of our Call to love and serve, bring you delight regardless of the season. Above all, may you wonder your ways through these days – and may you hear angels singing that sweet, sweet song echoing through the corridors of Eternity - “Peace on earth, good will to all.”
Debbie Kamm is a second generation American Baptist minister who has served churches in New York State and Vermont. She currently resides in Clifton Springs, New York, and is engaged in the ministry of caring for her father full-time. She is currently serving as Interim Pastor at Reed Corners Federated Church in Canandaigua, NY and is Editor of Minister.