Chatting with a friendly dog walker in the park she asked me if I liked Christmas? Yes I love Christmas I said, to which she said but it is so stressful and difficult. Why have we turned this time of hope into a frantic time with heightened expectations and tension? I do reflect upon my Christmas visits to prisons back in the 90s and understand that is a place of sadness, loss and separation at this time. For some the heightened emotions of loss and grief are certainly difficult. Though for most of us it should be a time for resting, reflecting and sharing. A time to be a: a good son/daughter, brother/sister, partner, parent and a good neighbour.
Christmas is about ... a baby, the simple joy of the miracle of life and hope for what may come for this life.
Christmas is also about peace, but not the comfortable peace of the privileged or the sappy peace of holiday cards, but peace as wholeness and healing of the seeds of violence.
Christmas is also about justice, and not justice of the powerful with authority over the lowly with righteous license to tear down every group but your own, but justice as compassion enacted in protection for the poor and vulnerable.
Christmas is also about having the heart of kindness – to forgive and reconcile, to reach out and share, to see the other and be prepared to walk alongside them.
Christmas is also about being the good witness, bystander and neighbour – and who is my neighbour?
Look to the Samaritan
Who is my neighbour I asked?
Look to the Samaritan I am told. He who had no name and came from another place, who happened to share the same road, who showed compassion to a stranger.
Look to the Samaritan, the one who knew what it meant to share the same road, the same planet, the same trees, the waterways and the air we breathe.
Who could speak the language of kindness.
Who would smile and say hello to the fella sleeping rough,
Who would pick up rubbish in the park when no one is watching,
Who puts out water for the birds in summer,
Who sees the Judean, the Russian, the Afghani, the young and the old, those on the left and the right, and does it just the same.
Who knew there is no them just us.
Look to the Samaritan, the signpost of compassion on the road of life.
But I would have to go out of my way, be inconvenienced, might be late, might be out of pocket, might get nothing in return, not even a thank you for my trouble.
Yes it might just be that way, but I did ask the question who is my neighbor?
So what do I do now that I know?
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