ADVENT DECEMBER 2

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS

 

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

 

On one of our many trips back to Colorado where Jane’s family lived, we visited the one-room schoolhouse where Jane and her brothers attended grade school back in the ‘40s. The door wasn’t locked, so we went inside. Except for the dust, it looked pretty much like the students had just left for summer vacation. The coal/wood stove still sat at the front of the room. On the walls were pictures of Washington and Lincoln along with several maps which could be rolled up like window blinds. Chalk remained in the trough under the blackboard. While we took in the sight, Jane told us how the community celebrated Christmas. “When the community gathered for Christmas, it was standing room only. Each student had a part, with the oldest student reading the Christmas story from the Bible. Following this everyone joined in singing Christmas songs until no more were requested. Then Santa arrived and gave each person a sack of candy. The adults settled into quiet conversation while most of the kids went outside to have a snowball fight in the dark. No one worried about separation of church and state. We were drawn together by our need for community and our shared belief in a God who sent His Son to show us all how to live in ‘peace.’”

Prayer: Remind us of the importance of community and through our common faith, empower us to be the body of Christ here on Earth. Amen.

 

Noel and Jane DeKalb