Finding Christmas
I went back to my hometown for thanksgiving to spend some time with family. The drive down the interstate made it quite obvious that the effects of Hurricane Ike were still gripping the entire area encompassing my hometown. The blue tarps on the roofs and the “sea mulch” piled high on the side of the roads were unavoidable reminders of the devastation the storm brought to the region. Yet, we still continued our tradition of sitting down together and having a good meal, and of course watching football.
On the day of Thanksgiving, I decided to go for a run. I recently got back into the routine of working out regularly, and I knew that it would not be good for my routine if I were to take off for the holiday. I also knew that it would not be good for my waistline if my only exercise was getting up for seconds of turkey and dressing. So I decided I would be strong and go for a run.
As I said earlier, there were very few places you could go within the city that you would not see some effect of the storm, and my running path was no different. While I was running, I came across a scene that made me stop running. There was a house that was pretty much destroyed and unlivable. In the front yard of the house was the ever-popular government issued FEMA trailer. There are quite a few of those around, including the one my parents are currently living in. But there was something about this trailer that made me smile, as odd as that sounds. On the front door of this makeshift shelter hung a red Christmas ribbon with a bell at the bottom. It was not something you could miss, the red color up against the pale white of the FEMA trailer made the ribbon jump out at you as if it were literally glowing.
The people who lived in this FEMA trailer was announcing to the world what Christmas is all about, whether they knew it or not. They had endured one of the most devastating storms in recorded history, their house was wiped out, all of their belongings and pictures and memories were lost, and they were spending Thanksgiving in a tiny trailer; and yet they hung a defiant red ribbon on their door. The Christmas story is about a people who are oppressed ruthlessly, taxed beyond their means, living in poverty, believing that God had forgotten them; and to them, a baby is born. A revolutionary baby who provided a different way to live. A baby who reminded his people that God had definitely not forgotten them or anybody. A baby who flipped all the ways of the world upside down. A baby who started a revolution of faith, hope, and love that continues today. It continues because each follower of Jesus chooses to live their life in the Way that Jesus taught. A Way that says it is not a matter of if storms will come but when, and how we deal with these storms is the more important matter. We are called to faithfully be the hope of the world by bringing love into all situations including (especially) the bad ones. We are called to be a light in the darkness, a city on a hill, a red ribbon hanging on a FEMA trailer. That is what Christmas is all about.
On the day of Thanksgiving, I decided to go for a run. I recently got back into the routine of working out regularly, and I knew that it would not be good for my routine if I were to take off for the holiday. I also knew that it would not be good for my waistline if my only exercise was getting up for seconds of turkey and dressing. So I decided I would be strong and go for a run.
As I said earlier, there were very few places you could go within the city that you would not see some effect of the storm, and my running path was no different. While I was running, I came across a scene that made me stop running. There was a house that was pretty much destroyed and unlivable. In the front yard of the house was the ever-popular government issued FEMA trailer. There are quite a few of those around, including the one my parents are currently living in. But there was something about this trailer that made me smile, as odd as that sounds. On the front door of this makeshift shelter hung a red Christmas ribbon with a bell at the bottom. It was not something you could miss, the red color up against the pale white of the FEMA trailer made the ribbon jump out at you as if it were literally glowing.
The people who lived in this FEMA trailer was announcing to the world what Christmas is all about, whether they knew it or not. They had endured one of the most devastating storms in recorded history, their house was wiped out, all of their belongings and pictures and memories were lost, and they were spending Thanksgiving in a tiny trailer; and yet they hung a defiant red ribbon on their door. The Christmas story is about a people who are oppressed ruthlessly, taxed beyond their means, living in poverty, believing that God had forgotten them; and to them, a baby is born. A revolutionary baby who provided a different way to live. A baby who reminded his people that God had definitely not forgotten them or anybody. A baby who flipped all the ways of the world upside down. A baby who started a revolution of faith, hope, and love that continues today. It continues because each follower of Jesus chooses to live their life in the Way that Jesus taught. A Way that says it is not a matter of if storms will come but when, and how we deal with these storms is the more important matter. We are called to faithfully be the hope of the world by bringing love into all situations including (especially) the bad ones. We are called to be a light in the darkness, a city on a hill, a red ribbon hanging on a FEMA trailer. That is what Christmas is all about.
posted by Jeff at 9:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home