Perhaps lighter, simpler fare this week. No big theological stuff. Stories! Provided by…YOU!
Jeff here again, doing blog duty. Next week – Mary Alice…you tuning in?
Here’s the question for the week: how are YOU making meaning of the season?
It’s an old question, but a good one. We’ve heard it before. We’re all so busy, meeting the unquestioned expectations for givers and getters. But are there folks out there who are pausing, breathing deeply, taking time to look, to listen, to hear the angel voices? Are there folk struggling in the darkness of grief and loneliness, who wish to tell their stories of finding unlikely hope amidst the dark sky?
I will tell a story that I heard while waiting in line to see Santa Claus at the Lawrenceville Main Street Christmas festival, during a recent (and absolutely freezing) afternoon at Weeden Park. While waiting in line, I overheard some of the conversations between Santa and the various kids who posed on his lap.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Kids shared their imagined delights over receiving the usual things: a prized doll, a train set, a remote-control helicopter.
One kid, when Santa asked that question, responded with this: “I want a big heart.” I inclined my ear to hear how he’d respond to this one. Santa stammered, muttered…”that’s nice…but….” Then recovered with, “Well, what about under the tree? Wouldn’t you like a nice radio-controlled helicopter?”
How are folks hoping for “a big heart” this Christmas? Stories? Anecdotes? Overheard at the grocery store?
In the PEACE, HOPE, JOY AND LOVE of the season!
Jeff
