Today’s message was written by Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Because of the coming of Jesus Christ, Christmas is the good news that hope is real. Hope is always a faith possibility. In Hebrews 10:23 we read: “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.”

One day, very close to Christmas, a child was coming down the hall at church. He had in his hand a little ceramic tray that he had made for his mother. As he ran down the hall, he tripped and fell. The tray broke into several pieces. The child was devastated. He began to cry loudly and uncontrollably. People tried to comfort him with all kinds of advice: “It was just a tray.” “You can make another one.” “You can give your mother something else.” The child was inconsolable. Finally, his mother arrived on the scene.

She immediately realized what had happened. Bending down beside her son and his broken gift, she said, “Well, now, let’s pick up the pieces and take it all home. We’ll put it together and see what we can make of it.”

Isn’t that exactly what the Christmas message of hope is about? The world is broken into many fragments, as are our lives. God stoops down beside us. “Well, now,” God says, “Let me help you pick up the pieces. We’ll put it back together and see what we can make of it.”

On a night long ago, God walked down the stairs of heaven with a tiny child in his arms. That child is a source of hope in human life. Friend of Dial Hope, be a sign of hope in a fragmented world. God has blessed you to be a blessing to others.

Let us pray: Loving God, in this season of waiting and yearning, give us the grace to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes, to the edges of our fingertips. Come and make all things new. Be born in us today and lead us to the light of your love. Help us, with your grace, to make this day a masterpiece. Through Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Amen.

Some time ago, I heard a great story about the St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. At that time, they were seeking a new president and received over one hundred resumes. The search committee narrowed the list to five extremely qualified candidates. Someone then came up with a brilliant idea. They decided they would send one person to visit each institution where the five finalists were currently employed. On the sly, they would interview only the custodian, asking his opinion of the person seeking to be their president! The search committee commenced at once. And sure enough, one janitor gave such a glowing appraisal of the candidate that he was selected as the next president of St. Paul’s School of Theology!

I thought that was beautiful. What that search committee understood is that deep faith in Christ will transform all of a person’s relationships. He or she will no longer relate to others according to how much money they make, or how much power they have, or what prestige they carry. No. They treat custodians and presidents with equal respect and dignity.

In 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, Paul writes, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view…”

May you and I regard no one from a human point of view, but instead with the eyes of Christ. And may we remember that each person is a child of God and worthy of our respect and love.

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, that your love for us is unconditional. Help us to share that same kind of love with a world desperately in need. Wash over us with your grace and give us eyes to see the soul beneath the surface of those around us and the beauty and strength within. Amen.

For many years, my friend Roger Tompkins would take a walk through his neighborhood. As he would walk, he would pray. This was a big part of his prayer life, and I imagine the exercise would clear his mind and open his heart.

In one of my seminary classes, we were invited to take a “prayer walk” through downtown Atlanta. We were to walk with our eyes tuned in to the people and situations all around us and to pray for them as we went. As we walked, we saw a homeless man on a park bench and a group of harried businesswomen rushing back from lunch. We saw children alive with energy playing in a park, and we saw a woman digging through a dumpster looking for her next meal. We saw police officers and moms and firefighters and construction workers. We also saw beautiful trees and birds and the reflection of a brilliant sky on glass windows.

As we reflected on the people around us, we prayed for them, asking for protection, for help, for daily bread, for grace, and for hope. We also prayed for the city and for the nation, and then for the earth. The walk opened our eyes and our hearts.

I invite you today to take a prayer walk. If you are not able to walk, I invite you to take a walk in your mind’s eye. Leave the phone behind. You don’t have to go fast. In fact, a stroll may even be better. Notice God’s creation teaming around you. Notice the people God loves. Offer your prayers, and feel God’s peace and presence.

Let us pray: Living and Giving God, thank you for your love for us—a love that wouldn’t stand at a distance, a love that had to come and walk the earth. Help us to walk today with eyes and hearts wide open; through Jesus Christ. Amen.