Imagine a birthday party for a six year old boy. A Ninja Turtle cake depicting Mikee, Leo, Donnie & Ralphie jumping into action. A sign hangs in the doorway proclaiming "Happy Birthday!" Maybe there are gift bags on the table waiting for his friends. A stack of presents sit in front of the couch, the colorful paper and bows begging to be pulled open. All of this is exciting, and I'm sure the little boy will be thrilled, but what's missing?... The people! What fun is the party if there are no friends and family there to celebrate with? That would be a pretty sad party if no one where there to share it with.
So, how do you imagine Jesus might like us to celebrate his birthday? The thing that comes to mind for me is the Gospel reading Matthew 25:31-46, particularly the following lines:
"Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me [...] Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me!"Wow! SO in summary, Christ is in each of us. We are all Jesus. and in turn, so is each person we meet. Think about that. Essentially, each person we meet is about to celebrate their "birthday." But rather than asking yourself what gift you can buy them or what toy or knick knack they might want, maybe we could each look a little deeper and ask what do they really need? And when it comes to our own Christmas wish list, what do we really need?
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