Advent Calendar – December 14
This is a lovely Christmas story: On the night before Christmas, a young father was annoyed and told his 3 year old daughter off for having wasted expensive gold tasseled ribbon on a Christmas present.
Christmas morning she proudly presents him the present, a box wrapped with the golden tasseled ribbon. When he opened the box, he saw there was nothing in it and once again began to tell his child off.
“You can’t give an empty box as a Christmas present” he said “It has to have something in it.”
His daughter started to cry and then sobbed: “Daddy, the box is full – it’s full of kisses for you”
It is so easy to miss the present if we are looking for something different.
If the innkeeper in Bethlehem had known who was going to be born that night I am sure he would probably have found room in his inn, but he was too busy.
Please don’t be like the innkeeper this Christmas. Don’t be so busy with running a business, buying and wrapping gifts, enjoying parties and fun to spare a moment to recognise the baby Jesus at your door. Let’s spare a thought and put ourselves out for those who look tired, who are homeless, for those who for whatever reason feel hopeless and helpless.
