As the Christmas season surrounds us with music, lights, and activity, many families living far from home feel a mix of emotions. There is joy, yes, but also a quiet ache. You recall traditions from your homeland, family members who are far away, meals that don’t taste the same, and streets that feel unfamiliar. Amid all this, you try to hold your family together, and that is no easy task. You work hard. You make sacrifices. You want to give your children a future, keep your marriage strong, and somehow stay connected to God even when you feel stretched thin. If that’s where you are today, I want you to hear this clearly: Your faith is not invisible. It is your anchor. In the first Christmas story, we often focus on Mary and rightly so. But Joseph also teaches us something vital. He was a man under pressure. He was asked to lead a family through scandal, political chaos, and into a foreign country. He had to trust God in the dark, and he had to protect the most important child in human history with very little support. Yet Joseph remained faithful. He didn’t make headlines, but he made a home. He didn’t write scripture, but he shaped the environment where God’s Son would grow. And that’s what many of you are doing today: shaping a home, even when the foundation around you feels unfamiliar.
Scripture tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) This is not a verse meant to frighten it is an invitation. An invitation to say:
“Lord, I can’t carry all of this on my own. I need You to build with me.” That is not failure. That is faith. When families pray together even briefly, even imperfectly something eternal begins to take root. When a father reads scripture at the table, when a mother speaks peace over her children, when a couple holds hands before sleep and simply says, “God, help us,” heaven leans in close. Faith doesn’t remove life’s challenges abroad. But it changes how you carry them. And this Christmas season, I want to remind you: God sees your faith. He sees your effort. He hears your quiet prayers. And He is helping you build something far more lasting than success a family that walks with Him. You may not be in your homeland, but you are not far from His heart. And here in this church, we want to walk with you not just as a Sunday crowd but as a spiritual family. A place where your children can grow. A place where your marriage can be strengthened. A place where your quiet faith is honored and multiplied. You are not raising your family alone. God is with you. And He is still building houses of faith one prayer, one meal, one act of obedience at a time.
Come celebrate the season with us. Bring your children, your burdens, and your faith, even if it feels small. There is a place for you in this house of worship, and a Father (God) who never forgets His families.

By Rev. Yaqub Kashif