Holidays

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday December 13, 2005

A friend who is a retired Nun and a case, in the highest sense sent Joyce and I a nice Christmas card and in the card she assured us of prayers and also enclosed a piece by Dorothy Day. Our friend remarked concerning Miss Day, (she had been put in jail you know) which Joyce and I recalled.

Dorothy Day wrote:

"In Christ's life there were always a few who made up for the neglect of the crowd. The shepherds did it; their hurrying to the crib atoned for the people who would flee from Christ. The wise men did it; their journey across the world made up for those who refused to stir one hand's breadth from the routine of their lives to go to Christ. Even the gifts the Wise Men brought have in themselves an obscure recompense and atonement for what would follow later in this child's life. For they brought gold, the Kings emblem, to make up for the crown of thorns that He would wear; they offered up incense, the symbol of praise, to make up for the mockery and the spitting; they gave him myrrh, to heal and soothe, and He was wounded from head to foot and no one bathed His wounds. The women at the foot of the cross did it too, making up for the crowd who stood by and sneered."

As I read the piece from Miss Day, I thought; In what way can I make up for the total disregard of so many during this Christmas time for the real Jesus Christ?

It is easy and the 'in' thing to say, "Well, I live for Him each day of the year." This is said with a little haughtiness, the nose raised ever so slightly, as when an aristocrat condescends and speaks to a lowly peasant. I wonder, do you really live for Him each day? In what way? Where are the scars?

Do you really daily acknowledge Christ as King of your life, and in that way make up for the crown of thorns He wore in your place at Calvary? Do you fear a little ridicule were you to witness to others about His work in you, to make up for the mockery He endured? You were not there to tenderly touch and bathe His wounded body at the cross, so do make up for this by bathing some poor soul who is hurting along life’s road? When those around you make snide often vulgar remarks about Jesus, do you, as did the women, make up for the crowd by verbally standing up for Christ?

In our little cocoon of Christian America we tend to forget that four fifths of the people of the world have no time at all for Christ and too many Christian Americans are joining the crowd of Christ rejecters, becoming more like bloody Herod than the Wise Men and shepherds who sought Him out to worship and adore.

Each time we respond to a hurting man or woman, in the name of Christ, we are, in part, making up for those who forsook Him and fled. At Christmas time it is imperative that we make our way to Him through meeting the real needs of those for He came.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2005 Use with credit

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