28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Luke 1:28-29 NKJV

Reading the Christmas story this break I took special notice of Mary's confusion when the angel of the Lord appeared to her. How could Mary, a common teenage girl, in a common town, be highly favored by God. If  I was in her shoes I would be confused just the same. Well, after I got over the fact that an Angel of the Lord was in my room, telling me that I should rejoice.
At the corp, those who we help  are the "commoners", the ones less fortunate, the ones who live out their common life of paycheck to paycheck. And though we might not be a sector of the Lord's angels, our message is just the same. "Come, you who are most highly favored. We come to feed you, clothe you, bring you comfort and joy. To show you that Christmas is not about fancy glittered ornaments, but baby Jesus himself." Perhaps in their mind, they are just like Mary. Confused that we might want to pray with a family and not just hand them our donated toys and let them be on their way. Perhaps they are confused why we would open our doors a little later than usual, so those who are struggling can get a few extra cans of corn and beans for Christmas dinner. Perhaps it is confusing that someone, who does not know them, willingly shows them an example of Christ, an example of LOVE. I pray this Christmas that  not one person who walked through the doors of the Temple Corp, were confused about the meaning of this holiday. To painting our little girls nails at our Christmas party, to packing food bags for the last food pantry of the year, our holiday programs are more than just programs. They are to celebrate the greatest man who ever lived. Who's Mother, though confused about an angel's greeting, was just like you and me.

We need alot Pizza breaks doing all this work :)

Happy Birthday Jesus