A few days after Thanksgiving last year, I was decorating the house for Christmas. I turned on my favorite Christmas tunes as I prepared the house for the holidays. My husband worked up north during the week, my parents were in Minnesota, and all our kids and grandkids were out West. I longed for those I loved to come fill my house and share the excitement of my preparations. It occurred to me that in a way God feels like that, too.


Incarnation has two sides to it: first, God loved us so much, that He became one of us, walked and dwelled among us, limited Himself in a human body, came to our house and called it His own. But the other side is that He did all of that because He wants ultimately to bring us to His house to live forever. He longs to have His house filled. He desires to share in the wonder of the place that He has prepared for us. His gracious hospitality awaits us! Jesus said, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am…” (John 17:24). And through the cross, He made it possible!