In the Community

Prairie dwellers blest with the luxury of wide open spaces may find it difficult to understand the geographic limitations of living beside the ocean.

Lately I have been reflecting on the great truths of Christmas, of Christ's coming. There appear to me areas of truth to explore and one of them is the fact of history that God becomes human and reveals His love for us.

If I didn't already know that Christmas 2013 is over and gone, it wouldn't take a divine revelation to figure it out. In fact, there is plenty of evidence to prove that one year has retreated into history and a new one has appeared to take its place.

"I wish it could be Christmas everyday" sang the British rock band Wizzard forty years ago. More recently Kenny Rogers sang, "Keep the spirit in your heart / And it's Christmas everyday".

In her song "Diamond in My Hand" Molly Johnson says, "I have found a jewel in this rocky land / Held it in my hand and turned it all around." Perhaps the diamond is an adequate metaphor for the gift of Nelson Mandela to our world.

I admit that my attention was somewhat divided in the early part of this morning's church service.

Everyone loves a Christmas story. We know the main ingredients: a woman, a child and a miracle of joy. The following is a true story: It was Christmas Eve when a man entered the blue door of Madonna House. He was thin, hunched over and very cold.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Really time goes so fast. Christmas Day is just a couple of days ahead.

Heading into yet another year I'm still faced with the same dilemma: what do I give Him? Christmas is over but the question lingers. I was awed by the offerings of Magi; the opulence and timeliness of their gifts is beyond my ability to give.

In spite of budgetary constraints and all conventional wisdom, a local resident known only as Mary recently spent her entire budget on just one gift. Not only that, she ended up dumping it.