Last night on the phone I
asked my daughter what she wanted for Christmas and she asked me the
same thing. It made me start trying to think of something I want and
don't have. We get so caught up all the time in what we don't have
and what new things we can sort of imagine that we need.
The Christmas season
actually seems to make that worse. In a time when we should be
counting our blessings, we are asked to come up with things we don't
need so people can know what to get us. To me this is
counterproductive to the meaning of Christmas.
Something this season has
really made me count my blessings. We have a homeless man who sleeps
between the two sets of doors of our education and office wing. He
has two trash bags with all of his possessions back behind the church.
I don't know his name, but
God does. He reminds me of Lazarus in the Gospel story from Luke,
about Lazarus at the rich man's gate. The only person in the story
who had a name was the homeless guy.
At first the congregation
was calling to ask what I was doing about him. And I would say that I
was trying to find him a better place and that he could stay here
until I could offer him something better.
But over time the attitude
around here has changed. One young woman talked about bringing him
breakfast. One man on the property committee talked about heating the
entryway. It may not be feasible to heat the entryway but it sure
warmed my heart.
I did talk to him last week
about going to a new shelter that opened because it has gotten pretty
cold out. He must have taken me up on it because the new zero degree
sleeping bag the congregation got him for Thanksgiving is still in the
entryway unopened.
This man has a job in this
world even though some people might think he ought to be looking for
one. His job is not an enviable one. He reminds all of us of how
much we have.
I started thinking about him
today because we are snowed in and as it comes down I have this
wonderful warm cozy feeling. And I am grateful to be warm and safe.
But my thoughts drifted with the snow to this man. Where did he sleep
last night and what did he wake up to?
Instead of wracking my brain
to think of something that I don't really need for my kids to give me
for Christmas I should be finding out what others really do need.
Lord,
Show us what we can
learn from those who touch our lives. And help us out of grateful
hearts to see your people in need.
Amen
Copyright (c)
2003, The Rev. Dana Reardon. Used by permission. Email her at
mspastor@aol.com.
The Rev. Dana Reardon is pastor at St.
Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Warwick, RI. A lifelong Lutheran, she
came to ordained ministry after 21 years in nursing, mostly in pediatric
intensive care. She graduated from Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Philadelphia in 1998 and served 4 ½ years in Upstate New York before
becoming a New Englander. She is still trying to understand the
accent. While in the Upstate New York Synod she chaired the Stewardship
Team. That began her fascination with what makes stewards -- and more,
what makes for generosity.
She
has three amazing daughters: Pastor Izzo says much of what she knows of
life she learned from them.
