During our family advent services we talk a lot about why Jesus came to the earth. One of those reasons is that He came to serve others. This year we began something that will be sure to become our newest family tradition!
Matthew 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Before opening our gifts and before enjoying our gooey cinnamon rolls with piping hot coffee, we all decided that we wanted to get up in the morning with our mind focused completely on others – especially those others who are hungry, hurting & homeless. So on Christmas morning (not too early because we are not early risers), we got up and made a large container of hot chocolate and another of coffee. We gathered together all the over abundance of goodies we had in the house – cookies, candy, crackers, cup cakes, fudge – and we put on jackets & sweatshirts over our jammies, jumped in our 15 passenger van and headed downtown to the freeway overpass where many of our cities homeless are located.
On the way we sang Christmas carols while we planned out how we would serve out of the side of the van. As soon as we pulled up and opened the doors, people started seeing the coffee cups being passed out and began lining up by the van. We all enjoyed passing out the hot drinks and the goodies as we wished them all a very Merry Christmas. Everyone was so appreciative and you could see their faces light up as they drank their coffee or cocoa and clutched their cookie or piece of candy.
One man commented – “It’s the little things in life that make all the difference!” How wonderful to be so very thankful for something in the midst of hard times. We could all take a lesson from that.
After we ran out of supplies, we headed back home with joy in our hearts that we were able to make a difference in the lives of almost 100 people on a day set aside to celebrate Jesus. Perhaps we were actually serving the Lord Himself!
Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. `For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, `Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? `And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? `When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.
Matthew 25 35-40
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