Awaken to the Angels’ Good News at Christmas!
From the beginning, writers of the Christmas story have been bothered by the inn, with the stable and manger close at hand. That is where we find ourselves: not by the shepherds, whose poverty and simplicity we lack; and not by the wise men, whose watchfulness and decisiveness we lack. We are, at best, guests at the inn. We sleep, we follow our own plans and dreams. Can we be awakened by the angels’ news? That is the question.
–Rudolf Otto Wiemer from the foreword to the play The End of the Night
A Christmas Story of Christian Hospitality
Off topic, but related to being part of the universal church.
I live in the small village of Three Rivers CA. It is the southwestern gateway to Sequoia National Park. The population is 2,000 persons. We have three mainline churches. In early December, the central heating system of the Presbyterian Church failed. The cost of replacing the system was a significant strain on that community.
On the Fourth Sunday in Advent, our priest told our Roman Catholic mission church about their predicament. He asked us to contribute to a second collection to help our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. At mass on Christmas Day, he announced that we had collected 250.00 as a Christmas Present for them.