I know of a group of brothers and sisters from another church has planned a Christmas caroling visit to the "homeless" tonight. I have never visited such a place before, but I can imagine how the place would be like from the "things to note" these friends of mine have to observed tonight. Just to name a few :
- do not dress up, but dress down. if you're an OL, please get changed into casual wear after work
- if you want to buy Christmas gifts, please buy practical stuff, like food, drinks or daily used items
- please be forewarn that there might be smell or noise, and expect no appaulse or cheers from the audience (as they don't actually expect visitors to come / intrude their place at night)
- dinner boxes have been prepared after caroling, but the dinner boxes are for the homeless, not you. So, please arrange your own dinner before coming
- please meet at YMT MTR station by 8:45pm, the group will then walk to the venue nearby. program is expected to begin after 9pm (why so late ? as these people are not supposed to be there in the day time, and they probably won't return from the streets at late hours) etc. etc.
The list goes on. While I tried to imagine the actual environment of such a place for the homeless where my friends will be singing joyful Christmas carols to them, the picture of our King lying in a lowly manger came to me. The manger must be much more worse than where the homeless live, the manger is built for animals, not even human beings! Yet Christ took the manger.
To quote from a very meaningful booklet given to me at Advent - THE LIFE - by Michael Card and William L Lane : "... The child was wrapped in rags and laid in a trough. The Son of God was born in deep povery, in a barn, not a palace. He was attended to, not by royal staff, but by the bleating of sheep and the soft voice of a peasant girl. It was a scandalous entrance for the MESSIAH of GOD into the world, more a reason to mock than to revere. Jesus was born in abject poverty. ...".
What a life ! What a lowly life ! And yet, what a wonderful life it becomes! What a fruitful life it bears!
Now I'm really curious to the latest movie - The Nativity.
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