This morning morning at ‘Breakfast With Jesus,’ our casual worship service around tables with food, I read Papa Panov’s Special Christmas, where an old man waits to see Jesus all day, and in the meantime, welcomes a variety of people into his home: feeds, clothes and shelters them. He was disappointed at the end of day that Jesus hadn’t appeared… until he heard a voice saying, “I was hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me…” (Matthew 25) and he realized that he had indeed seen Jesus.

I had just finished reading it and asked the congregation to ponder two questions: Where did you see and experience God’s presence in 2023, and where do you hope to see and experience God’s presence in 2024. There were a few answers given and then I heard the door to the building open. I went out to the entryway and two women were there, one of them asked in accented English, if worship had started yet. I said yes, but to come on in, that we were having Breakfast Church today and there was plenty of food still. I showed them where they could pick up food and a couple of parishioners quickly made room for them at their table. As we continued with worship, it was obvious that the tune of some Christmas carols was familiar, if not the English words. Prayers and more singing and a final blessing.

I went over to speak to them, asking their names and in our conversation, I asked how they happened to come to church that morning. They told me that some of their extended family had been to church on Christmas Eve and had told them about the hospitality they had experienced, the worship prayers and words offered that night, had been so meaningful, that they wanted to come and experience it for themselves.

Jesus came…