Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-6(NIV)

The part of the Christmas Story that intrigues me is the last ten words of the scripture, “because there was no room for them in the inn”. I often wonder if I have left enough room in my heart for Jesus. I love Jesus, I believe in Jesus, I want to follow Jesus; all of those things are true for me. However, Jesus’ words from Matthew 25:40 (The Message), haunt me, “Then the King will say, ‘ I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ ” The question for me is not if I have room for Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, but whether I have room for Jesus who shows up in “the least of these”.

I talk with many people day to day and hear about many others who need more help than I can provide. In Kokomo there are homeless families that have no place to go. Single homeless men, yes, homeless mothers with children, yes, but intact families (the very thing the church says is important) have no place to go. There is no room. There is no room for battered fathers with children, no place to go. The under-resourced remain on the edge of society, virtually invisible. There are problems obtaining reasonably- priced food because of transportation issues. It is not just low-income neighborhoods that have needs. In neighborhoods all over town there are concerns to be addressed.

There are lonely older s, there are folks who can’t care for their homes and need some help upgrading or cleaning up their property, and there are scores of kids in elementary classrooms who need tutoring. If we listen to our neighbors they will tell us where they need help. Jesus also says in Revelation 2:7 “anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches”. Maybe to reach more people for the Kingdom we need to make more room for listening, first to God and then to others.

December 23, 2006

Empty Porches

The air is crisp, clear, and clean. Darkness is settling in, as the sun is now going down earlier and earlier. It’s 6:30 PM and the sun seems to be trying to hang on, but it is losing. Those who live on the porches are all but in tonight. It’s windy and fifty-five degrees, but it feels much colder; the forecast is calling for a low of thirty-nine degrees. Those in the apartments are never quite sure when the heat will come on. There seems to be some arbitrary formula of when the old boilers in the basement of each apartment will come to life (usually sometime at the end of October). It is common for the neighbors to turn on the gas stove in the kitchen to take the chill off the apartment. In my mind’s eye, I see a mother trying to wake up her children, prying them out of their warm beds into the chilly bedroom. I see children in their sweat shirts and sweat pants, finally, rising from bed to go to the warm kitchen for a bowl of cereal before going to school. Afterwards hair and teeth are brushed, clothes changed, jackets zipped into place, book bags packed, then out the door to sit on the porch and wait for the bus.

With winter approaching I know about the only time I will see my neighbors is while they are on the porch waiting for the bus or as the children play in the snow. I know that soon the porches will be empty until spring. Tonight as I gaze at the empty porches I wonder how my friends spend the winter. Fondly, I look at each porch, remembering all the people who have shared so much with me. I will cherish the memories made on the porches - - - laughter, conversations, cookouts, wedding receptions, baby showers, bugs, games, and even the heartbreaks. I look forward to the spring when new life not only returns to nature but also to the neighborhood.

Now as the end of the year approaches we all have a chance to look back over the past year and remember. If you are like me and my neighbors, you can think of all the struggles and difficulties and the times that hopelessness was experienced; yet when the positive memories are added, hope is created. I am learning to let all memories, both good and bad, teach me about life. I think on Christmas Eve, I will think about all the gifts that God has given me - - - Jesus, my family, my friends, the gift of memory, and will be thankful.