[amc] Today is Epiphany

From: Ray Gingerich <rjgingerich@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Milwaukee Mennonite Church <mmc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Austin Mennonite Church <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 09:30:06 -0600
God bursts into our lives, sometimes in the midst of 'scandal':

Baby's Hug ~  We were the only family with
children in the restaurant.  I sat Erik in a high chair and
noticed everyone was quietly sitting  and talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He
pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray.
His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was
bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with
merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his
merriment. It was a man whose
pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast
and his toes poked out of would-be shoes.
His shirt was dirty and his hair  was uncombed
and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to
be called a beard  and his nose was so varicose
it looked like a road map. We were too far from
him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.. His
hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi
there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,'
the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks,   'What
do we do?'

Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.' Everyone
in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at
the man. The old  geezer was creating a nuisance
with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the
man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya
patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look,
he knows peek- a-boo.'

Nobody thought the old  man was cute. He was obviously
drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate
in silence; all except for Erik, who was running
through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who
in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal  and headed for the door.
My husband went to pay the check and told me to
meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised
between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of
here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As
I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to
sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing.
As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both
arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I
could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my
arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby
consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of
total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head
upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed,
and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged
hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my
baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings
have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled
Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely
on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice,
'You take care of this baby.'

Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that
contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as
though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the
man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you'vegiven me my
Christmas gift.'

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik
in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering
why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I
was saying,   'My God, my God, forgive me.'

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the
innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made
no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a
mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian
who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it
was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your
son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity.
How did God feel when he put his baby in our
arms 2000 years ago.  The ragged old man, unwittingly,
had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God , we
must become as little children.'


-- 
Center for Strength-Based Strategies
Ray Gingerich, Associate
5631 Bentwood Lane
Greendale (Milwaukee), WI  53129
Phone (414) 331-5957
email rjgingerich@xxxxxxxxx
fax (815) 371-2292
website: www.buildmotivation.com

"There is no way to peace, peace is the way."  A. J. Muste
[amc] Today is Epiphany

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