As I have written before, Christmas is not about exchanging gifts, Christmas decorations, family gatherings, or the other pleasurable aspects of the season. Those things can be good, particularly if they make the Christmas season more enjoyable. But Christmas is CERTAINLY not about stress, anxiety, and difficult feelings that can weigh us down during the holiday season.
Christmas is about hope. Christmas is about the hope that comes from a baby, born of a virgin in a humble manager in Bethlehem so many years ago. I am no preacher or theologian, nor do I claim to be. But as I have gotten older, I find it more important to focus on the hope of Christmas and work to see that my actions—both individually and corporately— express that hope and not the mixed-up priorities of a consumerist society.
Jayber Crow famously opined: “As I have read the Gospels over the years, the belief has grown in me that Christ did not come to found an organized religion but came instead to found an unorganized one. He seems to have come to carry religion out of the temples into the fields and sheep pastures, onto the roadsides and the banks of the rivers, into the houses of sinners and publicans, into the town and the wilderness, toward the membership of all that is here. Well, you can read and see what you think.”
That message applies 365 days a year, but it is exceedingly important at Christmas. About 35 years ago, some folks here in Stamford sought to do just that and carry the Gospel out into the town. They shared the hope of Christmas by delivering meals on Christmas Day to just under 100 shut ins. That mission has grown year over year and now, it serves over 700 meals, which is about 25% of Stamford’s population.
This project began at Stamford’s Methodist Church and it is still hosted in the Methodist fellowship hall, but the army of volunteers are affiliated with every church in town and with no church at all. There is no charge for the meal and there is no “need” requirement for folks to partake. You can order one meal or you can order 25 meals. We will deliver your meal, you can carry it out, or you can eat with us. Some folks eat and quickly leave. Others eat and stick around for two hours in fellowship with others. You don’t even have to be a Stamford resident to participate. We have had many out-of-towners join over the years. We do not check your ID at the door, we just welcome you and serve you a plate of turkey, dressing, and all the fixings. This year, a few intrepid volunteers smoked 32 turkeys on their barbecue pits and we are excited to share those tasty birds with the community!
If you are reading this and do not have plans for lunch on Christmas Day, I formally invite you to have lunch with the Stamford community! We are not perfect, far from it. Our community has needs and flaws. We could always do a lot of things better here. But on Christmas Day, the people of Stamford live out the Gospel. They carry the hope of Christmas (and a tasty meal) into the fields, roadsides, streets, houses, and all across the town, to the membership of our community.
Join us if you can, but if not, I hope you find a way to live out the hope of Christmas and share it with your community.
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the West of 98 website and podcast. Contact James and subscribe to these essays at westof98.substack.com and subscribe to West of 98 wherever podcasts are found.
We own land and a small home in Stamford that my parents purchased before they passed away. I’m always amazed at how much this small community contributes to society!! Keep up the good work