Freshly fallen snow and the smell of
warm cookies from the oven, family gatherings, presents, Pine Trees, Christmas
music, stockings by the fireplace - each of these are emblems of Christmas,
things we all hold dear during the holiday season. But for those living on the
streets, this season can trigger painful memories from the past, of times long
ago when they felt loved and cherished.
This is why, every December, we do what
we can to bring Christmas to the streets. Each year we organize a cookie bake
and make hundreds of Christmas cookies to serve at our different outreaches.
Our neighbors look forward to the plate of goodies. The homeless always
appreciate these home-baked gifts, and the ladies at the massage parlors always
feel particularly blessed to receive them. It is the cookies, plus our
friendship, that gives these people (whom the world would call “outcasts”), a
sense of belonging and importance during the Christmas season.
And yet, even with all the cookies and
carols, we would fail to bring Christmas to the streets if we left out the one
thing that makes Christmas so special - The story of Jesus, the story of God humbling himself to become a
man in order to save us. It is this story that motivates everything we do and
remains the central message of our ministry. May the message of Christ bring
true peace to the hearts of those we serve this holiday season, the people he
came to redeem.
