I am remembering so many who have been displaced: Native American mothers and children who once tended this garden we have now plowed under and paved over; Africans first enslaved by other Africans as spoils of war, then shipped across the sea and kept enslaved to build the plantations and factories that made their owners wealthy.
This year, gracious God, in the waiting of Advent, open our hearts. Reveal to us our own displacement. Where our hearts are broken, love us. Reveal to us the displacement of others. Where our hearts are closed, open us. Prepare us to welcome Jesus, a displaced one, who turned the tables and whose welcome is unconditional for me and for all.
This message is an excerpt of the Amen! column “Welcomed” by Catherine Malotky in the December 2016 issue of Gather magazine.
Sign up for Daily Grace. If you enjoy this resource or our other free resources, please Donate Now.