Caldwell’s story begins on a rainy, spring day when she found a fancy umbrella on a bus. She did not own an umbrella, but found a name on this one and returned it to the owner. The teacher who claimed it was delighted to get it back and offered her a reward , which she refused. The following six months were depressing. During the roaring twenties, she was divorced and could find only brief temporary jobs to support her six-year-old daughter, Peggy. She had been able to save only $8 to buy small Christmas presents for her daughter. As she trudged home on Christmas Eve, she thought of the $30 she needed to pay rent. She had only $15 and knew she would need that to buy food for Peggy. Her last job ended the day before Christmas, and she knew that unless a miracle happened, she would be jobless, homeless, and foodless. Caldwell writes, “I doubted the existence of God and his mercy, and the coldness in my heart was colder than ice.” Then the doorbell rang, and a delivery man brought an armful of parcels. Taylor thought he had the wrong address, until the sender was identified as the teacher who owned the umbrella. Inside one package was a huge doll, three times the one she had bought for Peggy. Gloves. Candy. And a beautiful purse. When Taylor opened the mail, she had expected only bills. There were bills, but also a Christmas bonus from one job for exactly $30. Her rent! And a permanent job offer to begin two days after Christmas. She writes, “I think that was the most joyful moment of my life up to that time. “I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. “And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent.” We are not alone. The Christ-child is born in a manger and called “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.” Won’t you celebrate His presence with us in our Advent and Christmas Eve services? In Christmas Joy,
Pastor Dan