SILVER BELLS!

SILVER BELLS!

Matt 25:35-36

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Matt 25:43

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

          They are everywhere this time of year; those silver bells and their volunteer bell ringers! The phony Santa in ill-fitting suit and beard has been replaced by a volunteer. Several of my pastor-friends have donated a few hours of their time to ring the bell beside the familiar red pot hanging from a tripod in front of your favorite mall or store. This is the front end of giving!  The back end of giving is a homeless man or, more often now, a woman with children are housed, warmly clothed and fed all from that red kettle.

          Emotions are raw at Christmas time. We have painted everything with a very broad red and green brush but the reality is more gray. My former secretary has just lost her sister to a blood clot. The funeral is today! The elderly do not have to be homeless to feel abandoned. Have you checked on your neighbor lately? Do you have a friend who lives several states away? When is the last time you phoned them just to talk?

          Would Jesus be a bell-ringer? Instead of looking away or glancing at your watch, look in the face of that cold and shivering volunteer. Christianity in action is the relief of suffering and the telling of the good news.

Dear Lord, touch my heart with the pain of others during this season of celebration. AMEN