SECOND SUNDAY ADVENT 2007
Second Sunday Advent 12:15
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas. Brenda King tells this story.
In 1994, on a cold, foggy winter day, in December in San Francisco, California, my friend Bill was strolling down the street, chatting with his wife, Nina. He noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. Bill walked on another block or so, but something was nagging at him, perhaps the Christmas spirit.
Spontaneously Bill went back, took off his own gloves and gave them to the man. The look of pure astonishment and gratitude that Bill received in return inspired him, and he determined to do more.
The next day, three days before Christmas, he went to a store, bought all their gloves, and walked the streets giving them out to other homeless people. Then he began turning this simple gesture into a non-profit organization called “Warm Wishes”.
In the last days before Christmas, 2002, amid all the flurry of Christmas preparations, I was with 300 volunteers who met at the local church in the San Francisco Bay area. Warm Wishes brought together all kinds of people, aged 3 to 80, in a great Christmas spirit of joy and service. We filled each of 5,000 sturdy bags with warm thermal socks, ski gloves, a knit hat, and a rain poncho. The final touch was Christmas cards hand-made by an elementary school students. We packed over 33,000 items in 90 minutes!
We created special packs for women and children who are in homeless shelters, and for police officers, fire truck and EMT drivers. In eight years, Warm Wishes has helped over 20,000 people stay warmer and dryer throughout the winter months.
After the packing, the real heart of the Warm Wishes project begins. Groups of two to four people take the bags to the streets, and distribute them to homeless citizens. Bill stresses that we should give out one bag at a time, and really look at and connect with each recipient.
I carry a few bags in my car, Brenda King said, to hand out when I see someone on the street in need. The first time I approached a homeless man, sitting alone in a park with all his belongings in a shopping cart I was scared. Since it was daylight and other people were around, I decided it was safe. I walked up and handed him the pack, saying I hoped he would accept this gift from Warm Wishes, I said.
The man’s gaze, which had been glassy and unfocused, sharpened. Then he looked right at me and said, “Warm Wishes! I’ve been hearing about you folks— God bless you!”
I went back to my car and cried for several minutes. My tears were of joy. The joy of a true spirit of the Christmas season.
Clearly, I had received more than I had given.
Joy is certainly one of the most obvious emotional experiences of the Christmas season.
The simple, trusting joy of Mary and Joseph as sturdy as the Christmas cave of birth.
The bewildered joy of the shepherds which lingers with us like a scented Christmas candle.
The solemn joy of the Magi as magnetic as their long journey leading them to the place of fulfillment and happiness and peace.
Christmas joy is not being filled to the brim rather joy is always pouring out some of what you have that others may have something too.
Christmas joy is not a not a matter of events in your life. Rather joy depends on your attitude toward events. If your attitude is positive, your joy is assured.
Your Christmas joy is the by product of the effort to make someone else happy.
Your Christmas joy is doubled by your positive interactions with others and burdens are cut in half.
To be joyful you need something worth doing, someone worthy of your love, and something worth hoping for.
Christmas joy is as contagious as laughter, as spontaneous Christmas greetings to passers-by.
You find your Christmas joy by being truly interested in what others are doing.
Your Christmas joy is guaranteed when you help someone else find joy.
Anxiety is anchored self-devaluation; joy rides high on the crest of self worth.
Joy is spontaneous, not duty bound. Duty can become a dark cloud eclipsing the radiance of joy.
The Christmas story infuses us with joy like that which we experience when we know we have been forgiven,. The Christmas story makes us tremble with fervor like an innocent first communicant.
HUMOR: There is a humorous story about joy. For months he had been her devoted admirer. Now, at long last, he had collected sufficient courage to ask her the most momentous of all questions. But he felt he had to do a preamble before asking the life changing question."There are quite a lot of advantages to being a bachelor," he began, "but there has come a time in my life when I long for the companionship of another being -- a being who will regard me as perfect, as an idol; a being whom I can treat as my absolute own; who will be faithful when times are hard; who will bring innumerable joys into my life. To his delight he saw a sympathetic gleam in her eyes. Then she nodded in agreement.Finally, she responded, "I think its a great idea! Can I help you choose which puppy to buy?"
The thought I leave with you today is this: Christmas is contagious joy.
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas. Brenda King tells this story.
In 1994, on a cold, foggy winter day, in December in San Francisco, California, my friend Bill was strolling down the street, chatting with his wife, Nina. He noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. Bill walked on another block or so, but something was nagging at him, perhaps the Christmas spirit.
Spontaneously Bill went back, took off his own gloves and gave them to the man. The look of pure astonishment and gratitude that Bill received in return inspired him, and he determined to do more.
The next day, three days before Christmas, he went to a store, bought all their gloves, and walked the streets giving them out to other homeless people. Then he began turning this simple gesture into a non-profit organization called “Warm Wishes”.
In the last days before Christmas, 2002, amid all the flurry of Christmas preparations, I was with 300 volunteers who met at the local church in the San Francisco Bay area. Warm Wishes brought together all kinds of people, aged 3 to 80, in a great Christmas spirit of joy and service. We filled each of 5,000 sturdy bags with warm thermal socks, ski gloves, a knit hat, and a rain poncho. The final touch was Christmas cards hand-made by an elementary school students. We packed over 33,000 items in 90 minutes!
We created special packs for women and children who are in homeless shelters, and for police officers, fire truck and EMT drivers. In eight years, Warm Wishes has helped over 20,000 people stay warmer and dryer throughout the winter months.
After the packing, the real heart of the Warm Wishes project begins. Groups of two to four people take the bags to the streets, and distribute them to homeless citizens. Bill stresses that we should give out one bag at a time, and really look at and connect with each recipient.
I carry a few bags in my car, Brenda King said, to hand out when I see someone on the street in need. The first time I approached a homeless man, sitting alone in a park with all his belongings in a shopping cart I was scared. Since it was daylight and other people were around, I decided it was safe. I walked up and handed him the pack, saying I hoped he would accept this gift from Warm Wishes, I said.
The man’s gaze, which had been glassy and unfocused, sharpened. Then he looked right at me and said, “Warm Wishes! I’ve been hearing about you folks— God bless you!”
I went back to my car and cried for several minutes. My tears were of joy. The joy of a true spirit of the Christmas season.
Clearly, I had received more than I had given.
Joy is certainly one of the most obvious emotional experiences of the Christmas season.
The simple, trusting joy of Mary and Joseph as sturdy as the Christmas cave of birth.
The bewildered joy of the shepherds which lingers with us like a scented Christmas candle.
The solemn joy of the Magi as magnetic as their long journey leading them to the place of fulfillment and happiness and peace.
Christmas joy is not being filled to the brim rather joy is always pouring out some of what you have that others may have something too.
Christmas joy is not a not a matter of events in your life. Rather joy depends on your attitude toward events. If your attitude is positive, your joy is assured.
Your Christmas joy is the by product of the effort to make someone else happy.
Your Christmas joy is doubled by your positive interactions with others and burdens are cut in half.
To be joyful you need something worth doing, someone worthy of your love, and something worth hoping for.
Christmas joy is as contagious as laughter, as spontaneous Christmas greetings to passers-by.
You find your Christmas joy by being truly interested in what others are doing.
Your Christmas joy is guaranteed when you help someone else find joy.
Anxiety is anchored self-devaluation; joy rides high on the crest of self worth.
Joy is spontaneous, not duty bound. Duty can become a dark cloud eclipsing the radiance of joy.
The Christmas story infuses us with joy like that which we experience when we know we have been forgiven,. The Christmas story makes us tremble with fervor like an innocent first communicant.
HUMOR: There is a humorous story about joy. For months he had been her devoted admirer. Now, at long last, he had collected sufficient courage to ask her the most momentous of all questions. But he felt he had to do a preamble before asking the life changing question."There are quite a lot of advantages to being a bachelor," he began, "but there has come a time in my life when I long for the companionship of another being -- a being who will regard me as perfect, as an idol; a being whom I can treat as my absolute own; who will be faithful when times are hard; who will bring innumerable joys into my life. To his delight he saw a sympathetic gleam in her eyes. Then she nodded in agreement.Finally, she responded, "I think its a great idea! Can I help you choose which puppy to buy?"
The thought I leave with you today is this: Christmas is contagious joy.
posted by The Ronald | 2:28 PM
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