“Then shall He answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.'” (Matthew 25: 45 KJV)

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)

I stopped at an intersection the other day and stared straight ahead. No eye contact meant no need to give a few bucks to the person begging at the corner.

You know who I’m talking about. You’ve seen them on the corners–maybe even given them money or bottled water. You can picture them: “the least of these.”

A few blocks later, I came upon a church campus, its patina steeple towering over everything below, including a beautiful manger scene in full display on the front lawn.

An evergreen wreath adorned with a bright red bow was mounted on each of the two doors to the sanctuary, with garland wrapped around the columns.

Was this Charlotte, or a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting?

Then, it struck me. The contrast between the possibly homeless person back at the intersection, dressed in a threadbare coat and oversized pants, and a Christian church outfitted in its Christmas finest.

And then I thought of the connection between the two. Within that church people worship a God who teaches us to care for the least of these.

What did He mean by “the least?” Was it those whose worth is somewhere below the worth of most of us? Hardly.

They are “the least” only in the sense of material goods, station in life, and perhaps physical/mental well-being.

Let’s face it: to Jesus Christ, we are all the least of these. None of us is any better or worse than that person on the corner. We are all God’s children.

And, as a Christian, I believe that God sent His son Jesus Christ to live incarnate among us. He was on a mission. In fact, notwithstanding the debate in some denominations about predestination, the only life we know was predestined was Jesus’s.

From the moment He was delivered and placed in that feeding trough, His life and mission were predestined to teach us, lead us, die for us, and by doing so, save us.

I also believe what the Bible says; that is, we humans have all sinned and fallen woefully short of God’s glory. But by His grace, we are justified and made whole.

So, as a believer, celebrate that. Rejoice in that. Take comfort in that. And, most importantly, go “all in” on that.

For that is the true meaning of Christmas–the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies that a Savior would come to us and save us from our sins and our pitiful selves.

And not just those of us who dress up and sit in church on Christmas Eve. All of us.

Oh, and that person begging on the corner? Stare straight ahead, or drive right by if you must…but don’t judge. He might just be an angel unaware.

May you and your loved ones have a blessed and joyful Christmas!