The whole December thing is heating up now – literally and metaphorically – with the younger brother arriving from the UK with his wife and seven-month-old in the last few days.
Of course, post-greetings, it wasn’t too long before I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. I was thinking perhaps I would buy something, put it under the Christmas tree and then potentially post it over there for them to save space in the luggage on the journey home.
But in the end, he actually just wants shoes and socks. Or perhaps that’s all he could think of in his jetlag haze.
Although, genuinely, I think he really does want the shoes and socks. Maybe it’s because he’s become a dad this year. That was a swift change in the gift requests.
On the same day that my brother arrived, I got a letter in the mail from Samaritan’s Purse with Franklin Graham giving an update and summary on the year. This included the fact that the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are currently making their journey around the world to their destinations.
The greatest journey. That’s what Samaritan’s Purse call their optional gospel presentation that goes with the delivery of the shoeboxes.
The shoeboxes contain toys, games, stationery, toiletries, clothes and whatever else that’s suitable and small enough. Children who live in poverty around the globe are blessed to receive these gifts and I personally love to be involved in sending some, every year.
The Greatest Journey is when the good news of Christmas is shared with those who receive the shoeboxes. Good news like the verse quoted in Samaritan Purse’s letter:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”
Sometimes I have students in my classroom ask me what the date of Christmas is because they genuinely don’t know. They come from a culture that doesn’t particularly pay much attention to Christmas.
They have genuinely missed this critical piece of information: the date of Christmas.
That’s why it’s so great that Samaritan’s Purse go all around the globe with both their loving-kindness in a gift and with the message of the good news.
And they do it every year at Christmas.
They’re doing it this year and they’ll do it next year. The greatest journey.
Not everyone knows the truth. That’s why, at Christmas time, if not any other time, I feel encouraged to be talking to people about what Christmas means to me.
And sometimes you can do it with a shoebox.
I thought I was done with the Christmas shoeboxes for the year, having sent mine in already. But with my brother in town and his request for Christmas, perhaps I’ve got some more shoeboxes to deal with before I’m done.
Attempting to navigate the perils of Sydney’s shopping centres in December might be the greatest journey yet…
Yours preparing for the odyssey,
Alison
