Almost Christmas Devotions for the Season. Ingrid McIntyre

as they soon called me over and explained their predicament.

      Now I have to admit that this seems to happen to me often. I love meeting people and hearing their stories, and like a parent or grandparent I always want to be helpful to those I encounter. But sometimes, it is different. Sometimes, like this time, it is much more than a mere desire to be helpful. It is a certain conviction that I am looking straight into the eyes of Jesus.

      As I sat with this couple, learned their names, and heard their story, the presence of Jesus became even clearer. They had not had a meal in a few days and all they wanted was a few dollars to get a little something at the convenience store across the street. I invited them to come in and have breakfast at Starbucks on me. They were both surprised; tears fell on their cheeks and gratitude came to the surface. We stood in line and ordered, and then waited patiently together. As we waited, we shared more stories of life, of how we ended up at Starbucks that day, and about our faith.

      When their food arrived, I hugged each of them and we went our separate ways.

      Whenever I tell this story or relate others like it, the same question comes up nearly every time: How do you know that you are actually helping a person, and that they are not just taking advantage of you?

      As we begin this Advent journey of preparation, John Wesley gives us a different question—a simple yet profound one. “Do I so far practice justice, mercy, and truth, as even the world requires?” Or to put it another way, Do we practice justice, mercy, and truth at the most basic human level?

      In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us not to judge others. He challenges us to pay attention to our own attitudes and motivations and not to be so concerned with the failures of others. He then reminds us to ask for what we need: “If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11). We can be bold to ask God for what we need, knowing that God will provide for what is best. Even earthly, non-perfect parents would do that.

      We should take Jesus’ teaching here to heart as an example of the justice, mercy, and truth that even the world requires. Even imperfect parents will respond to the need of a child in front of them.

      Returning to the couple I met in Starbucks: How do I know that I’m not being taken advantage of ? My response is that it doesn’t matter. In fact, I don’t know—there are no guarantees that I will give to an urgent need. But I do know that if I were in their situation, I would want to receive the help I need, the just thing, the merciful response, and the truth of the situation. That is how I would want anyone to approach me, so why would I not do the same? I can respond to the need in front of me, leaving the outcome to God.

      As you begin this Advent journey, pay attention to the ways that God shows up in your life. Today at every possible moment do justice, practice mercy, and reveal truth in the most basic, easy, and human way. It is in this small step that our souls find renewal, that our hearts prepare to receive the Christ Child, and that others can see a star in the east.

      Maybe this year Christ will be born in a Starbucks instead of a stable!

       Rev. Juan Huertas

      2

      Do I even appear on the outside to be a Christian?

      During my senior year of college, I lived in a house my roommates and I called the Castle. One of the bedrooms had a spire for a ceiling! As graduation approached, I spent hours outside taking in the sun on a wooden swing hung from a large oak tree. One day when we were outside, my friend Sam and I began talking about postgraduation plans. Sam and I had previously been on the crew team together, so we knew each other fairly well. I told him about the Christian summer camp I was headed to work for, as I had done the previous two summers. After listening to my excitement and passion for Mountain T.O.P., Sam looked at me and said, “I didn’t know you were a Christian.”

      There was a moment of hush as I gazed at Sam with disbelief. I was embarrassed and hurt. I thought to myself, “What!? I spend my summers working in ministry! I lead huge camps of people spiritually! I even preach!” As his observation swept over me in the hours that followed, I was mad at myself. Why didn’t my life speak of my love for God?

      As Christians, we are called to self-examination at every point of our spiritual journey. John Wesley’s question, “Do I even appear on the outside to be a Christian,” reminds us that what may feel and seem so obvious to us may not be expressed in our day-to-day actions. If we give our practice an honest and faithful look, God will help weave our beliefs and actions together even more tightly. This Advent, let us strive for our outward behaviors to reflect the hope and expectation we feel inside as we long for Christ’s coming.

      I’d had a completely opposite experience a few years before my conversation with Sam. When I returned from my first summer working at Mountain T.O.P., my friend Page said to me, “Something is different about you!” What Page saw was the fire and joy of a mountaintop experience. All summer I studied the Scripture and worshiped God under the stars. I listened to youth tell stories of hope and transformation. I watched children and families find shelter, friendship, and new life in partnership with these youth. And my own call to ordained ministry was being nurtured, as mentors and campers called out spiritual gifts God had planted in me.

      One of the hardest tasks of a Christian is leaving worship, or a service trip, or a mountaintop experience. We experience that thin veil between heaven and earth and try to hold on to it as we reenter our worlds. Perhaps we feel it during Advent worship or among close friends and family at Christmas. Perhaps it’s during service to others at this special time of the year that we feel God’s nearness. Whatever it may be, we have to leave these places where we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good with the intention to practice daily positioning ourselves before God. When we create a space to encounter God, we are better able to live out that love as we rise and go out.

      As we wear our encounters with God, as we wake up and clothe ourselves with the fruit of the Spirit, people will ask: Why are you so joyful? How are you so confident in times of sorrow? Our personal, sacred encounters become our everyday, ordinary witness. Our stories become our invitation into the redemptive and abundant life offered in Jesus Christ.

       Rev. Sam McGlothlin

      3

      Do I practice godly behavior?

      When our children were born, one of the values we wanted to instill in them was deep empathy. The question we faced was, how do we teach our children to care deeply for those who are not like them? How do they learn to see and imagine what it might be like to be someone wholly different? Over the past decade, we have learned very different ways of practicing this value of empathy. One of our favorite practices is to fill gallon-sized resealable bags with items that we have learned over the years folks in our community both need and want. Clean socks, Starbucks gift cards, and healthy snacks are a few examples of things we have learned to pack in these bags after meeting people who are in need and sharing our names and stories. Something else we have learned is the value of writing notes and prayers that aren’t patronizing, but rather focused on honoring the humanity and dignity in each person we meet.

      When