Artwork by Anthony VanArsdale for the National Black Catholic Congress
When you think about the Christmas story, how do you picture it? A baby born in a manger with horses, sheep, and oxen crowded around in the barn? An adorable, cuddly infant swaddled and laying on hay? While all these things may or may not be completely accurate of the scene of Jesus’ birth, I am reminded that the nativity story is not necessarily as picturesque as I often imagine it to be.
A little after Jesus is born, King Herod orders that all infants under the age of two be killed. Due to Herod’s search for baby Jesus, the family of three have to flee to Egypt. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus became refugees in a foreign land. Jesus did not come into a world that welcomed him, but one that sought after His death. He entered into a world that was full of suffering, brokenness, and pain. He entered into a world that needed a Savior to come and restore the world to the wholeness that God had intended.
This baby Jesus, born into the world in a manger, grew up in wisdom and stature, began to teach, healed the sick, ate with sinners, brought good news to the poor, died on the cross for the sins of humanity, and rose again from the grave with victory over sin and death. This is the hope that we have in the Christmas story. Not just a picture of a sweet, cuddly baby, but an image of God himself who has come in glory to seek and save the lost. “Born a child, and yet a King,” as the popular advent hymn, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, states.
When I think about the work that Square Inch Houston does, it is grounded in this hope that King Jesus has come and He is coming again. In the SALT Scholars Program, rising leaders in the neighborhood are encouraged to seek after the places in the neighborhood where Jesus is already working and to join in His movement of transformation and restoration. We can enter into the brokenness and suffering of others, just as Jesus does, offering the hope that Jesus is King and He has the victory. May this hope of our Lord Jesus Christ sustain you in this season. Merry Christmas! Our Savior has come and He is coming again. Angela
Angela Stangl Board Member Angela is a stay-at-home mom with several years of experience in non-profit work. Also a part of the Greater Third Ward Community, she is looking forward to witnessing how God uses Square Inch Houston to renew the neighborhood. She is married to Matt, and they have one very adventurous son. |  |
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