Dorothy…You’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Where in the world am I ?

Dorothy – you’re not in Kansas anymore.  

Sirens are unceasing.  Horns blast.  Right now two men are arguing below my kitchen window…something about a parking space, which is as rare as gold in the dirty streets of this city block. I guess they figure it’s worth fighting for.   

I’m amazed at this place.  Surprisingly, I find it comforting, even though I’ve spent almost my entire life on a quiet farm hill in the middle of a cornfield.

There’s no quiet here.  No cows.  Corn is non-existent, except in cans at the Co-op.  Sidewalks are piled with trash bags.  Blinking stoplights punctuate the concrete.

This place is cold and impersonal… but, in a way…not. 

Christmas comes here, too.  Jesus in all His brilliant humility, brings me peace in this crowded place.  

That’s the wonder of God. He came to earth for everyone…including the loud, the busy and the brassy who argue over parking spaces.

That’s the wondrous beauty of God’s gift!

Love is here.  Peace is here. God is up close and personal

...even in what seems to be a most impersonal place.

On Christmas Eve I stood in a darkened closet room of an upstairs apartment.  A high rise across the street obscured all stars, but lights sparkled in a distant window.  Beyond the clutter, I saw the shimmer. 

In this city…and all over the world…Christmas comes.

In this city…and all over the world…Light comes.

In this city…and all over the world…God comes. 

In this city…and all over the world…Love comes.