Daily Devotion for December 25, 2005

No Room in the Inn

 

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isaiah 58:6-9 

 

It’s Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ. I pondered what I would write about this most important day. All that came to mind were the usual reflections of how in the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas we should take time to reflect on the true meaning of the birth of our Savior. Although we should never lose sight of what Christmas stands for, following such a horrendous loss as Katrina, I felt the usual thoughts didn’t quite fit. I keep thinking of how many people this Christmas do not have a home to celebrate Christmas in, down in the Gulf States and other places.  After struggling with what to say, it came down to this: the outpouring of love, generosity and compassion for these victims, following the worst storm in years, has been phenomenal. It has surpassed all expectations. People have donated time and money and opened their homes to help those who have nothing left.

 

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared is doubled. This is what Jesus’ life has taught us—help those in need, minister to the poor, the sick, the homeless. This is stewardship; this is evangelism.

 

As your family gathers today to celebrate this wondrous event in our Christian lives, remember not only to thank God for giving us his precious Son, but thank him for the many blessings he has given you and you have shared with others, the things money can’t buy.

 

A blessed Christmas to one and all.

 

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Tim Hetzner - President - Lutheran Church Charities
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