I’m always intentional about celebrating Christmas with our youth and families. I want Christmas not to be just about the day, or even hearing the Christmas story, but about the sense of community and connection… which we share throughout the year. I play Christmas music in the van, both traditional and hip hop. Often me and Lisa treat one of our families to a Christmas show, always a fun time. The boys and I talk about Christmas stuff: school break, presents anticipated, etc. but the topic never generates much excitement. Our annual shoe shopping spree for the basketball team has become a Christmas tradition, they get excited about that. I get them to share stories about their own families. And there’s the rub…
In spite of my intentions to create a sense of excitement or joy about the season there is very little excitement about Christmas. It’s just another day. There’s nothing special about the season; there is nothing about Christmas to them to commend it as the most wonderful time of the year. Life is life, it’s a struggle and we go on. Our mothers work hard to create a Christmas for their children that includes food aplenty and gifts… but the best blessing is a roof over your family’s head, food on the table… without that the rest really doesn’t matter. For many of our families Christmas is just more of the same struggle they experience year round. Parents are stressed, people still hustle, young people idly pass the time either staying up in the house bored, or running the streets. And then there’s the Christmas party.
We’ve done our Christmas party for thirty years. We started having it in our house for all of our people and moved to have it at Park Avenue Church because it got too big for the house. Little kids, big kids, young adults, families, older parents, grandparents… they all come. Anyone who has been involved in our ministry here. Between Lisa’s hospitality and my joviality, we try to make sure people have a good time. We want them to feel comfortable, loved, connected and blessed… in Christ. It is the seminal event of the year which encapsulates our mission of creating Christian community. And people come away from it feeling good, feeling connected, and being reaffirmed of their membership in the Body of Christ.
Our families here experience so many different kinds of angst during this holiday season. It’s a time that engenders powerful family vibes but so many of our families are experiencing various types of angst. Loved ones who are absent due to incarceration, drug addiction or gun violence. Then there are those in our community who are living in fear of being accosted by immigration authorities if they leave the house for simple errands, going to work or even going to church. The whole Christmas vibe of family togetherness hits different for them. The real Christmas story, the story of Jesus’ birth, is replete with moments of angst, fear, struggle which give way to joy. This is indeed the time and the place to celebrate God with us.
We get to see and experience our Christmas miracles… The family which we have been in relationship with through three generations, watching them endure through generational dysfunction to maintain a sense of connection, community and support over the holidays. Some who have suffered long journeys through the dark tunnel of chemical addiction begin to see the light of Christ’s love and presence in their lives. We take note of these things, and prepare ourselves in Christ for the vicissitudes of everyday life here, knowing that Christmas miracles are rare. In life we do not always experience the joy. We do not always experience the miracles. But it is always Christmas… God with us!
Christ's Children Ministries 