The right jolly old elf had given them wonderful counsel, even if he hadn’t been the wonderful counselor himself, and even if they hadn’t totally understood him.  They pieced together that he said something about a gift and a star and they felt a dash more hopeful.  Melchior suggested they enroll in an ESL class while they were traveling in this strange land of CUMC.  As luck would have it, they arrived during a banquet.  Being as famished as they were, they ravenously devoured their meals.  Afterward, they played BINGO and even won some prizes.  Melchior won some frankincense from Arabia, and Balthasar won some myrrh from Saba.  Maybe their luck was turning after all!

Today's Quote: “For Jesus, it did not matter who was in need.  Everyone matters to God. Everyone has value.  And we are instructed to show mercy, kindness, and hospitality to everyone who crosses our path.  Being a good neighbor is not a matter of geography but of hospitality.  It requires caring for people who look like us, talk like us, and live near us - and those who don’t…

Immigration, becoming strangers in a strange land, is never easy…Professor Octavio Javier Esqueda reminds us that all Christians are immigrants.  When we make room in our hearts for Jesus, we become citizens of heaven and now live as foreigners and strangers on earth, as we read in Hebrews 11:13.  This understanding should cause us to “have compassion for those foreigners who come from different regions and countries because we recognize that we all are also foreigners and exiles on earth (1 Peter 2:11). “Knowing that our Lord was a refugee should lead us to make room in our hearts and communities for the foreigners and immigrants among us.” (Ed Robb)

Today's Microchallenge:  Sign up to teach an ESL class.  (Centreville UMC is is need of 2 ESL teachers for the winter/spring semester.  All training is provided.) Pray for those who are displaced or away from their homeland and navigating a foreign culture this Christmas season.