Joyful and Triumphant

Four months ago, almost to the day, my daughter Tia and I stepped off a plane and set foot on American soil for the first time in 15 months. As we started down the jetway, Tia broke out into a full-on run, yelling near the top of her lungs, “I’m home!! I’m finally home!! America is my HOME, and I am here now! We. Are. Home!!!” I could see the raised eyebrows and smirks of our fellow passengers, probably thinking that this little girl, surely coming home from a vacation, had quite the flair for the dramatic. Okay, to be fair, that is generally true of Tia, but not in this case. I think her exuberance was appropriate here. Something we had dreamt and prayed and wished and longed for so deeply was finally happening, and while I was almost stunned silent, she literally could not contain her joy. 

While the transition back to life in the States has had its challenges, we are still experiencing frequent, similar spikes of joy, especially as we head into this holiday season. First days of school, Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving dinner – being home is amazing. But being home for Christmas is almost another thing entirely. Obviously not just for us – from Christmas songs to Hallmark movies and coffee mugs, the notion of being home for Christmas/the holidays seems to be a cultural priority, the ultimate ideal. If at all possible, Christmas is best at home (even if just in your dreams). And this year, I find myself wondering about that: why is Christmas so much sweeter at home, whatever and wherever that may be, and being away from home so much harder at Christmastime?

It seems to me that home is the place we know best and it best knows us. The places, the people, the family, the homes, the traditions, Christmas at home brings the intoxicating aroma of familiarity and belonging, and the anticipation of shared experiences of excitement and joy. I think the deepest core of who we are yearns for that, doesn’t it? To be told you belong and that you are known so fully and so loved.  What if the desire for this at Christmas is just a shadow of our souls’ longing for this overall, our hardwiring to seek an eternal home that isn’t here? What if it isn’t a coincidence that the day God came down from that eternal home and took on flesh to make a way for us to be there with Him someday, that this is the day, the season that evokes this longing, and our hearts tend to marvel with glimpses of a deep, familiar joy? This is why we don’t observe Christmas; we celebrate it. God began a crazy story of triumphant redemption, asking us to receive the gift of His Son and come home to Him.

I was asked recently which was my favorite Christmas song–it’s a Sophie’s choice for me, I love them all–but for some reason, my immediate answer was “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.” I’m not exactly sure why that was my answer, but I do know that this year, it’s playing keeps making me cry, even at its opening lines:

“Oh come all ye faithful, Joyful and Triumphant…“

And my heart immediately swells, and tears form in my eyes at how unbelievably true that feels, especially this year. Heck yes, we are joyful – joyful to be home. We’re joyful to watch our God graciously answer prayers and triumphantly close the mouths of lions, working miracles for our good and for His glory. He clearly did that in mine and Tia’s story, and moreover, in the work God allowed TKP to do this year, in families and communities. But then I realize, “Oh yes, of course – it’s so much more; that baby in the manger will triumphantly conquer it all, for all of us.” Christmas Day is the beginning of our homecoming, our return to our home with Him. Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us, so we can be with Him. “Come, let us adore Him,” because He is worthy to be joyfully adored.

I’m thinking a lot this year about our girls and babies in Zambia, many of whom Tia and I celebrated with last Christmas morning in the new TKP house, where we had just moved a couple of weeks prior. Over the past year, our team has worked so hard to make that new building and property feel like a home – a home that helps our kids feel safe and loved, and that hopefully gives them space to meet and grow in a relationship with this Jesus whose birth we are about to celebrate. 

So many of you reading this were truly integral parts of that work. Your time, your prayers, your resources – I can’t express how truly impactful God used it all, and we are so grateful. Thank you for helping us make the TKP House a home – a place where girls and babies feel known and seen. We end this year at TKP in awe of God’s love and provision, giving glory to God in the highest for all He has done. 

From our home to yours, we wish you all the most joyous Christmas.  

Amanda