What smells?

My wife, Mary, likes to pick on me because I like things to smell nice and I’m particular about smells. We have several candles and wax warmers around the house. My favorite wax is one called “Dear Watson” that the company Scentsy makes. When I started working at the office here, I brought a warmer up to the office for a few different waxes that I like also. Then with the coming of Fall I felt the office needed a nice “Pumpkin Spice” smell. I love that smell! My favorite is from Yankee Candle. Don’t let the cheaper candles fool you, Yankee Candle is worth it! For the past few weeks, we have had that smell in the office when you came by. Thankfully, Jim, in our office, has obliged my need for nice fragrances in the office. He even moved my candle out of my office and into the main area to spread it around more.

With getting ready for the Christmas season, I picked up a new candle from the store called “Home Sweet Home.” When someone came by and asked why it was called that, we said it was because it smelled like Home Sweet Home! We know that smell is one of the triggers for our memory and this candle, by Yankee Candle of course, does a great job of tapping into that memory of home. Especially that memory of home around the holidays. The smell of cranberries, cinnamon and just a touch of sweet, like sugar cookies in the oven. Smells like Home Sweet Home at Christmas time!

We all love that feeling of home. That warmth and the familiarity of it all. We love knowing that we are home and can relax. Our safe space and the place where we are comfortable with who we are. Our chair that fits us perfectly. Our favorite spot at the dinner table. Home is such a good place. I was reflecting on that this morning as I was working around the house. The parsonage has begun to feel like home to me. Everything has a place and I’m getting more familiar with where to put all the dishes! I know that sounds odd, but we had a much smaller kitchen at our last home, and I have been losing utensils in all the drawers of this kitchen.

I must say, second only to the people of our church, the Parsonage has been such a humongous blessing to us. The home is of ample size for our large family. Everyone has a place to call their own and be themselves. It is usually messier than I’d like, and I honestly feel like I’m vacuuming or mopping every time I turn around. I think we are about to burn up our vacuum cleaner. This has become a great home for us, and we have found it to be a great place to come and be restored from the day. I am an early bird, so having the kitchen and my desk on the opposite end of the bedrooms helps so I can make my coffee and have some quiet time before the day begins.

What is home for you? What do you love about your home? We often call our church that we grew up in our home church. What is familiar about that church home for you? In this Christmas season, we are doing a lot of work of reflecting and preparing our hearts for Christmas. As much as we have been digging into what our chains are and what our past has been, I think we can find Joy in our life. We can find it all around us and especially in our homes.

This Sunday we will reflect on Joy and how often we can miss it. How can we own the Joy of today, of everyday and especially of Christmas day. See you on Sunday, in person or online!

With Grace & Peace,

Pastor Augie