Gifts in the Snow

 

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As I prepare for Christmas there are so many thoughts I want to share with you all. However my schedule has been fast and furious lately and the writing of new posts are a much lower priority as a result. So I’m reposting one from two years ago and I hope you won’t mind. It actually speaks to much of what is on my heart as “I wonder as I wander” through this Christmas season. Blessings, Jay

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

There they were…packages of various sizes wrapped in Christmas paper scattered all along the snow drifts in my front yard. I looked out my window wondering how long they would last in the snow and when my father would let us retrieve them, I was only seven years old. In a fit of rage over something unknown to us, he had tossed them, along with the tree, out the door early that Christmas morning. It would be three days before he cooled down enough to let us bring them inside and several more before we could open them. I don’t even remember what I got that year, but I do remember the image of the gifts in the snow. For years that memory, along with other similar “holiday events”, shaped my (non) enjoyment of Christmas. That was until God gave me a Christmas experience that would change me forever.

In my early twenties I traveled with a Christian rock band and from time to time we would do other gigs besides concerts. On one of these occasions, two other band members and I went down to the Bowery in NY city to serve in one of the many soup kitchens, this particular one was run by the Salvation Army. We got there early in the morning but the line to get a hot meal was already long and many were anxious to get inside the shelter. We met with the leaders of the shelter who filled us in on how the day would go. The setup was simple, one group would first listen to a quick Christmas message in the small chapel and afterwards move to the cafeteria to eat, this process would repeat itself until people and or food ran out.

To my surprise, I was asked to give the first message and was quickly shown the way to the chapel. As the various groups of people shuffled in from the cold air, I saw through the open door that it had begun to snow. The collection of old and young, men and women slowly found seats, many were still drunk or coming down from a night of intoxicated waste. Against the white purity of the fresh snow their filthy clothes and smell stood out in stark contrast. What could I say to move the hearts of such people? As I waited for the chapel to fill, the Lord brought back the memory of the scattered presents in the snow bank outside my home. He quietly said to me…

“These are my gifts…they too have been scattered and thrown away, tell them I desire to bring them home.”

My heart and eyes were opened with those words; I began to feel the heart of the Father towards these “lost gifts”.

Reading from the scriptures I told them of poor shepherds, pretty much the outcast of their day, being the first ones to hear about the Messiah’s birth and by angels no less! I spoke of how this story was about God’s great love and how He wanted them underneath the blessing of another tree—the cross, which Jesus was born to bear for them. I finished my small sermon, prayed and release them to the hot meal waiting in the dinning area. All but one left the chapel, a young man my age waited and asked to speak with me. He shared his story, how his father had thrown him out on the streets just a few months before Christmas. The message of God’s love had deeply moved him, making him realize how much he wanted God in his life and how he needed to ask his father for forgiveness.

As we talked and prayed God was healing much inside of me as well—from now on—Christmas would be different for both of us. That’s the power of the Gospel; if we allow it to flow to every part of our being…we can’t stay the same.

In a small Jewish town, a message of hope spoke across time to a small chapel in New York City. There, on their knees, two young men saw that message in a whole new way.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” - Luke 1:68

Comments

Martha Orlando said…
Jay, this is one of the most moving Christmas stories I've ever heard. Those presents scattered in the snow like the lost and lonely and homeless standing in that line, sitting in that chapel - and your words, God speaking through you, which led that one young man to Christ. No gift can compare!
Blessings to you!
Sarah Cookingham said…
Thank you Dad for sharing your heart and the Father's heart toward us all. I am so happy to be apart of your Christmas celebration now, and see how God has redeemed the celebration of His Son's birth for you every year in a new way. I love you!
Jay Cookingham said…
Thanks Martha for your kind words. Even though that happen many years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. It moved me beyond my imagination and I'm grateful for what God has taught me through it. Merry Christmas!
Jay Cookingham said…
My dear sweet daughter...how bless of a father I am to have you in my life. Along with your sister and brothers, you all have enriched every experience of our journey together. I love you Sarah!
jasonS said…
What a powerful story, Jay. We have so many "divine appointments" that come our way. We really are predestined for good works. It's always incredible how God takes our brokenness and ministers to others with it. Thanks of (re)sharing this. :) Wonderful.
Jay Cookingham said…
It's a story that I keep re-telling to myself bro'...Good news of great joy!
floyd said…
What an incredible story, Jay. That story is worth telling every day of the year. I think that's who we are... and maybe you just got to learn it the hard way, yes, but early and well. It is the foundation that God has used to impact the world around you. Well done. Honored to read this and share the story of your life. It speaks to all of our lives.
Eddy Damas said…
Nice touching and moving story. Get some time alone these days if you can.
Jay Cookingham said…
Thanks Eddy...that's good advice for sure!
Jay Cookingham said…
Appreciate that Bro'...it's awesome when God connects the dots of our life and retells the story of redemption through it.

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