My UGG Boots

Where God Is

In a certain town there lived a cobbler, Martin Avdeitch by name. He lived in a small basement room whose one window looked out onto the street, and all he could see were the feet of people passing by. But since there was hardly a pair of boots that had not been in his hands at one time for repair, Martin recognized each person by his shoes. Day after day, he would work in his shop watching boots pass by. One day he found himself consumed with the hope of a dream that he would find the Lord's feet outside his window. Instead, he found a lingering pair of worn boots belonging to an old soldier. Though at first disappointed, Martin realized the old man might be hungry and invited him inside to a warm fire and some tea. He had other visitors that evening, and though sadly none were Christ, he let them in also. Sitting down at the end of day, Martin heard a voice whisper his name as he read the words: "I was hungry and you gave me meat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in. Inasmuch as you did for the least of these, you did unto me." Every Christmas, our family reads the story of Martin the Cobbler as an aid to our celebration. Tolstoy's words offer something of a creative attempt to capture the Incarnation, and it helps us to picture the gift of the Christ child in accessible terms. Notably, the story was originally titled, Where God Is, Love Is. Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the coming of Christ again. Like Martin eagerly waiting at the window, we ask ourselves as Advent moves forward: Will Christ come to me this Christmas? Will I wait for him? Am I ready for him? Am I even expecting to find him? We are reminded to prepare our hearts and minds to the one who is on his way even as he is near. But Advent would also have us to remember how how unexpectedly Christ at times appears--as a baby in Bethlehem, a man on a Cross, as a woman in need. In the book of Titus, we read that "the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." How and where will it show up this week? Perhaps in order to remember how much we can offer others, we need to consider again the radical thought of what God has offered us: a Christ child who comes down to us, a redeemer willing to die for us, a God willing to redefine what is near. The focus of Christmas is the message of Immanuel--God is with us. The focus of Christ’s earthly ministry is the declaration of the Cross--God is for us. And the focus of our future is the hope of the resurrection and his imminent return--God will bring us safely home. Until then, God knows all, God is above all, and God is among us, even when it seems most unlikely: "I tell you the truth; whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me." Stuart McAllister is vice president of training and special projects at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Story told in Leo Tolstoy's Walk in the Light while there Is Light and Twenty-three Tales (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003).

I'm not a christian but I honor other's beliefs.