January Joy
If you were in Bethlehem that first Christmas, it’s likely you would have missed that incredible light show with the angels singing about the glory of God and the arrival of peace on earth. Most people did. It was only a few scraggly guys on a hill who caught it. They were the ones keeping watch at night.
If you had been a villager going about your business in Nazareth when Jesus was a child, you likely would have missed the fact that you were within such proximity to the one the angels announced was God among us. Most people did. He was just a kid running around the streets getting dirty and playing with his friends.
The Christmas story not only reminds us that the world is not bereft of God and miracles, but it also reminds us that we are liable to miss these because they are so hidden in the ordinary that they are overshadowed by the loud, the flashy, and the notable. They are often only witnessed by particular unlikely people paying attention in unusual ways.
But if you had happened along Charles Street on the night of December 16, you just might have noticed some rowdy Christmas commotion outside an old church building tucked under the shadow of the nearest high-rise condo. And if you had paid attention, you might have witnessed what I believe is the sort of miracle in which God comes among us even today. Under sparkly lights, with some beautiful decorations and the sound of live Christmas music, an unlikely group of people gathered in defiance of all the gloom and doom that dominates our attention to share a delicious Christmas dinner and hot drinks together, to laugh, and to receive gifts from a Santa Claus who looked strangely like one of our regular community members…
Some of these people are usually left out or ignored by the loud and flashy Christmas business that takes over our world at this time of year. Many are not welcomed in the polished public spaces that keep this business bustling. Many have faced a disproportionate amount of loss and suffering during this pandemic. And yet, the coming together of this unlikely group in a public space in downtown Toronto to share some joy and to help lighten each other’s loads during a tough time of year is a glimpse of the kind of world I want to live in. It is a sign of the love of God come among us in bodily material ways. A love that is found in the barely noticed cracks and rifts of what our society usually celebrates and values. I am really grateful that I was able to be a part of our Christmas dinner. The ongoing pandemic has changed the shape of our community life so much, and has forced us to be outside with a changed format for a second year. And yet, the sense of community was tangible. And over 300 (or almost 400, I'm not sure?) people got to eat Donald and crew’s delicious meal! Thank you so much for your support and for paying attention to our little Christmas miracle.
