Finding Home

On this day after Christmas, we can reflect on the hope that has been shared throughout the Christmas season, the lives that have been touched and changed because of the love of Jesus being expressed. Romans chapter 15 says:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,
16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

We are servants of the Most High God, and through us, people can see the hope of the gospel. 1st Peter 3 encourages us to be prepared to share about why we have hope within us.  We have been loved greatly by God, to the extent that He sent His Son at Christmas, so that the world might come to know Him. Our willingness to allow the love of Christ to flow through us can demonstrate to those with whom we interact that Christ has come and that He gave His life so the world might come to know Him and be saved.

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In the 20th chapter of the book of Acts, we find that Paul addresses the church leaders in Ephesus, and among the words he spoke, we find these:
32 So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Doris was nine years old when they showed up on Christmas night on a farm in Alabama.  Again that year, there were no presents, because her parents simply did not have the means to buy them. She writes on The Christian Heart website: "...we heard a truck coming down our dirt road and it pulled into the driveway. Two men got out and they were carrying boxes full of presents and food for my family. It turns out they worked on the farm and knew we didn’t have money to celebrate Christmas. I remember how happy it made me. And I saw the look on my siblings’ faces, that look of hope and happiness. Even though I was young, I knew that was a feeling I wanted to someday bring to others."

Fast forward to the next year - her family had moved, and just a short distance from their home, she heard singing. A nearby church was holding a tent revival meeting. Doris recalls: 

At the end of the worship service, the preacher asked if anyone needed prayer. My dad had just had back surgery and couldn’t work, so we had even less to eat than usual. I felt led to stand up and ask that they pray for my family and my dad since we had so little food. Afterwards, a couple asked me where I lived. Later that night, that couple delivered food for my entire family. In fact, the members of that church ended up giving us food every day until my dad had fully recovered from his back surgery. I saw compassion and God’s love in these people giving us food.

Doris Phillips writes:

Seeing those two events were moments of change for me. I saw what “loving your neighbor” really looked like. These events truly flipped a switch inside me. I was determined to make something of myself and give back to people.

I can trace those two events to me starting the The Circle of Love years later. We supply Christmas presents to children living in many different shelters in the Birmingham area.

She says:

These children may be down so we want them to have faith in people so they don’t become hardened. We need to give these kids hope.

We do this all out of Christian love for one another and a desire to pay it forward. I once heard someone say that to give of myself is to find life. I was so touched with this phrase that I put it on our foundation’s stationary. We all need to live our lives being kind to one another.

The Circle of Love, according to this website piece, began in 2004, and the organization has "touched over 8,000 children who live in shelters and in impoverished areas." The Circle of Love has expanded to a Backpacks for Success program to provide school supplies for children at the beginning of the school year - over 10 years, there have been some 5,000 backpacks that have been provided to children. 

This is one example that struck me during the Christmas season of people, motivate by the love of God, have become a tangible outreach of the love of Christ.  I am reminded of organizations who have a real heart for children, from Sam's Angel Market of the Montgomery Baptist Association to the Angel Tree program of Prison Fellowship.  We rejoice in the ministries around our area who reach out to those who are homeless, and rejoice in the outpouring of support for Friendship Mission in their endeavor to continue to serve the River Region to provide shelter for those who have fallen on hard times. The way the community has come alongside that ministry even attracted the attention of The Montgomery Advertiser not too long ago. 

The love of Christ is a powerful force - yes, the need is great, but the power and provision of God is greater.  We can humble ourselves to be conduits of how God desires to manifest His love toward those who are in need. Through our generosity, people's hearts can be opened up to accept the love of a Savior who gave His life so that people can experience eternal life.  As representatives of Jesus, we can help people find a home - in Christ.