Advent at our Door.
“Through the call of Jesus people become individuals. Willy-nilly, they are compelled to decide, and that decision can only be made by themselves. It is no choice of their own that makes them individuals: it is Christ who makes them individuals by calling them. Every person is called separately, and must follow alone.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Our video cameras observe a strange figure approaching our home. He is dressed in robes with filthy sandals on his feet. He is unshaven with scruffy brown hair covering his head. He uses a staff to guide him as he walks.
I fear this stranger; he does not belong in our community of finely dressed lawns and properly manicured houses. Hasn’t he read the proclamation that door-to-door peddlers are not allowed. So much for our gated community. I wish he would just go away; maybe I will ignore the Christmas song, when he rings my bell.
But where did he go; he has disappeared! I can no longer see him.
Someone calls to me; the voice is inside the house. No, the voice is in my head. It beckons me . . . to what I do not know. I am suddenly ashamed of my lifestyle. Why? I worked hard for this. Why am I suddenly concerned about the welfare of that robed stranger? My mind says, where is he God; protect him. He is a special, but I do not see him; I do not know him.
The voice calls back to me. Look in the mirror; he is within you, always.
Meditating to Heal 