Some years ago I rescued a little broken wooden Nativity Scene which I now bring out each year at the beginning of Advent. The scene reminds me, as St Francis of Assisi originally intended, that hidden within the commercial loudness, the frantic busy-ness, and all that other stress, the focus is on the glow of new human life gurgling from a manger.
My little Nativity Scene is made of wood to remind me this is what the cross was made of. It remains broken because this reminds me of the broken-ness of humanity then and now and of the body of Jesus broken for us. I keep this little scene particularly as I believe the noise of this season is deliberately encouraged for humanity to forget the baby first placed in a wooden manger who grew up to be placed on a wooden cross.
On top of my little broken wooden Nativity Scene is a slightly wobbly wooden angel announcing “good news of great joy for all the people”. This good news is mostly muted these days drowned out by the noise of greed and violence. The worst thing about this is that there are many who long for some good news. All is not lost, because we who have heard, and keep on hearing the good news for ourselves, can channel all this to them.
The theme for this year’s Christmas Bowl Appeal is the call for us to “help rebuild lives this Christmas”. Highlighted are people within three countries by now known to us. They look to people like us for some good news, some light within their darkness.
First is Sri Lanka. Contrary to media perception, not that many Sri Lankans have tried to come by boat to Australia. For a complete generation, they fled their country in conflict across to India. Now 100,000 are still there stuck mainly in refugee camps without the resources to make it home again and with very limited resources just to survive. They need good news.
Second is Sudan. Conflict there lasted even longer. In the western province of Darfur, 2,000,000 people have been internally displaced. That would be equivalent to about half of Sydney having to find shelter away from home. Finding clean water to drink or even to wash in is a daily challenge. We feel put out when the plumber turns off our water for half a day. How would we cope if the entire City of Ryde was deprived of all water for an indefinite period? Just providing hand washing facilities for a school in Sudan would be good news.
Third is Iraq. News about this country is now off our front pages after war and civil conflict, but there it is still not safe. So far, there is no enforceable international law that demands that participants in war immediately remove their landmines and other unexploded devices from the scene. Just imagine children coming across them at play or on their way to school. Resources are required to bring good news to them of how best to stay safe in their own homeland.
Help rebuild lives this Christmas and may peace remain with you.
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