There are many ways we prepare for the coming of Christ. In this season of preparation known as Advent, some people are doing just what you are doing now, taking time each day to read an Advent devotional. Some of you just enjoy sitting quietly while you take in the lights on your Christmas tree and meditate on the meaning of this season. It is such a busy time of year and yet still so important to find time to focus on the coming of the Christ child.
One way that lifts my spirits is to do small acts of kindness for those we know or especially for a stranger. Christ came so we might more fully know what it is to love our neighbors. Acts of kindness remind us of that love that was born in Bethlehem. In the past, I have done things that maybe didn’t take a lot of time, but hopefully made a small difference in someone’s life. I have bought a homeless person something to eat, made an extra effort to let a relative who lived far away know they were appreciated and loved on their birthday. With my family, I have delivered meals to strangers through the Dinners with Love ministry. A few years ago, I stopped at a Sonic on the way home late one Christmas Eve to get a drink. They were the only place open and I gave a $20 tip to the carhop for a $3 drink. I thought anyone having to work on Christmas Eve in the chilly night air deserved something extra. I share these small acts of kindness not to toot my own horn, but just to give some examples of little things we can do in this season to show kindness.
It’s not even so much about the tangible item given, but it is the thought of kindness that enriches your soul. Helen Keller once said, “The most beautiful gifts in life can’t be seen or touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
Sometimes, a small act of kindness grows into something bigger. A few years ago, a Michigan man just happened to have an extra Christmas tree that was used on his business’s parade float. He wanted to bless someone, so he posted online he had the tree to give away for free. For most of us, a tree is an integral part of the holidays, but for some it’s an expense that needs to be saved for daily essentials. After posting the ad, his inbox was flooded with touching stories of why various families deserved to have the tree. One in particular touched his heart: “Having a real Christmas tree would be such a great blessing this year. Usually, we just draw a Christmas tree on a large poster and hang it in the corner.”
The businessman was so moved, he went out and bought 40 more trees the next day to give to deserving families who couldn’t afford one. As it turns out, the holiday kindness didn’t stop there. A woman who had seen the online ad offered to donate all the ornaments and trimmings for the 40 trees. One small act of kindness led to forty families being blessed that year and moreover… the two persons who initiated the acts of kindness experienced what it means to prepare our hearts for the birth of a child. How will you prepare this season to welcome the baby Jesus?
Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
