Appearances

It is very likely that Mary did not look anything like this. The same goes for Jesus who is looking at you from the lower right corner of the photograph. But does it matter how they looked? I don’t think so.
And that’s because looks do not define a person. Unfortunately, we categorize people by what they wear and how they look; we label them successes or failures by the way they dress.

Perhaps during this Advent season, you and I could work on that issue. Let’s resolve right now that first glances don’t reveal the whole person, that style of dress may tell me about home or circumstances, but style of dress does not reveal a heart. Every person is sister or brother because of the common heart beat that moves the world. Let’s get passed how we look and move to the more basic question: how much and how deeply do I love?

“…and they dressed him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.” Swaddling cloths?

So, again, I encourage you to use these days of Advent to address the major faith issues you carry in your mind and heart. Maybe one of them is how we regard the stranger. I believe the result of your Advent efforts will be a rich and meaningful celebration of His birth. Press on in faith, hope, and trust.