Tuesday is Christmas Eve, December 24. It is the date the church has chosen to celebrate the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem looking for lodging and receiving accommodations with the animals. "No room for them in the inn" is the way the biblical account reads and this has spawned a number of images of Mary and Joseph going to all of the motels in Bethlehem only to find "No Vacancy!" signs in all of the windows.

Several years ago, my son, Gordon, a pastor in San Antonio wrote: "Mary and Joseph were not homeless refugees when Jesus was born. They had all of the essentials of a home - shelter, family, and lots of love. Home is, after all, the place where we are loved. Home is where family is. Some homes are big and fancy. Some homes are small and modest. Some homes are not even real clean. But if there is shelter, family, and love (the only essentials), that place is home."

My son pointed out that the reverse of the above observation is alarming: "If a home can be a barn, then homeless people can live in mansions."

This Christmas I want us to be aware of our communitys homeless: PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO SHELTER FOR THEIR FAMILIES and PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO FAMILIES FOR THEIR SHELTER.

As we end the year, 2002, could you and I resolve that we will do something next year to insure that those we hold dear have all of the requirements of a home - shelter, family, and love? Sure we can!