Because Im feeling pulled off course this Christmas season by headlines of impending disasters of one sort or another, I reached out to the Rev. Paul Miller of First Assembly of God Church to help remind me of the reason for the season.
Though I dont attend Millers church, Ive always appreciated his easy-going manner and his absolute joy in his faith, which Im sure has been tested over his 44 years.
At Christmas, especially, Im hit with the yawning divide between families with means and those without, and how difficult it is to bridge the gap. When I see the long line of children waiting to pick out a free gift from Santas Toy Shop, I know there are many for whom this will be their only present.
Once inside, the bounty and splendor of the shop draws gasps. And while the younger children may squeal in delight, their parents fall silent.
Miller reminds me that the traditional story of Christmas had the same elements of what could be perceived as tension between the haves and have-nots.
I assume Joseph was an adequate carpenter, whose skills provided a modest existence, Miller said, but they were not enough to put them up at Bethlehems finest.
When at the stable, the conversation between the shepherds the equivalent of todays blue-collar, graveshift workers and Mary and Joseph probably came easy, Miller surmised.
But with the magi in their elegant robes, perhaps not so much. After all, they were educated, wealthy and came bearing expensive gifts.
So how did they find common ground?
By realizing its not about equal giving but about equal sacrifice, Miller said. For the shepherds, just being there was all they could give. For the magi, their long journey and bounteous gifts were an equal representation.
Jesus didnt resent the wealthy, Miller said, unless they used their money only for selfish gain.
Miller also disputes the notion that the attainment of wealth and the pursuit of a spiritual life are mutually exclusive, and paraphrases theologian John Wesley, Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.
Miller and his wife, Kari, are devoted to people. Besides his role at First Assembly, Miller is a full-time substitute teacher at Iola High School. After a stint at the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Kari now works in private practice as a family and marriage therapist. The Millers have two children, Jon, a senior at IHS, and Bethany, a fifth-grader.
In his church work, Miller said many people discount their a=bilities to help and tell him, I dont have anything to give.
Just show up, he tells them, and your talents will become evident.
Part of who we are is never really tapped into until we start sharing, he said. Volunteering helps people not only realize their talents, but also that the world is not about them, but about relationships.
