I am too busy to watch TV. I rarely turn on radio while driving. So Christmas comes and goes without me knowing. I stopped writing Christmas cards several years ago, because by the time I was ready to write the cards, it was usually the day before Christmas – too late to send anything.
Christmas is the birthday of our Lord. How can we spend it most meaningfully? One time, to address this question, we bought blankets for the homeless with the money we would have used to buy gifts for our families. The Houston branch of a daily Korean newspaper held a drive to collect blankets for the homeless as a community service and we sent the collected money to them. Their efforts got recognition from the City of Houston and the Houston Chronicle, enhancing the image of Korean-Americans in Houston.
Although buying blankets for the homeless may be an expression of our concern for the unfortunate, it was not really effective because the weather in Houston is generally mild. So we started the campaign “Who Is My Jesus?” This was based on a sermon by Mrs. Seo. She told a story about someone who thought he had helped some unfortunate people but in fact had served Jesus. So, instead of exchanging Christmas presents with family members, we search for “our Jesus” and give to those people.
This year we wanted to be more specific about who “our Jesus” is. You may have noticed a Christmas tree in the foyer near the entrance to the sanctuary. You may have also seen Giving Tree Cards hanging on the tree. On them you’ll find listed an age group (1 to 5, 6 to 11, 12 to 17, and 18 and older), gender, and a list of gifts the age group might want. If you are interested, you can take one of the cards, buy a present from the list (between 20 and 40 dollars in value), wrap it, and place it under the tree.
This project was initiated by the Youth Group. They will collect the presents and deliver them to the Mission of Yahweh, the Baptist Mission Center, the Salvation Army Family Center, the Open Door Mission and the Harbor Light Center. These are charity organizations for beaten wives, orphans, and the homeless. Of course, you can also pick items from the Giving Tree Cards and give them to less fortunate members of our church as Christmas presents as well.
I think this is more meaningful way to celebrate our Lord’s birthday, and
I hope that all our members participate in it.
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