Christmas Dinner with a Black Man

We had a most unusual Christmas dinner yesterday. Last Sunday at our worship service people were talking about Christmas plans. A single middle-aged black man who has been attending mentioned that he didn’t have anywhere to go on Christmas. We met him several months ago during one of our homeless outreaches. I don’t know his story yet apart that he served four years in the Navy. He’s clearly had some struggles but is a gentle soul and loves to worship with us.

A number of things went through my mind about Christmas and how he might fit in at Christmas dinner with my wife and me. We can’t pretend that there aren’t gaps between us ethnically, economically, and educationally. I knew where he lived and wondered how he would feel coming into our house. I thought how awkward it might be for him or for us but knew that our comfort zone shouldn’t determine whether to invite him to dinner or not. When I asked him if he would be interested he jumped at the chance to come. He only lives ten minutes from us by car but in another neighborhood, one that’s seen better days to say the least. When I picked him up on Christmas Day he was standing outside where he lives with a bag of gifts in hand. I was a little embarrassed because frankly I hadn’t even thought of a gift for him. He gave me a can of leather spray and gave my wife a basket with hand creams.

What can I say? We had a great time. It wasn’t always easy to keep the conversation going since we come from different worlds in many ways. He raved about the meal and seemed to genuinely enjoy being with us without any indication of discomfort on his part. I know that’s how it should be but in the real world it’s not always easy to relate to people with whom we have little in common, at least at first sight. On the way back to his place we talked about what it means to be a member of God’s family, brothers in Christ. And when I think about it that’s what we have in common that really counts. The Apostle Paul tells us that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female … (Gal. 3:28).” Perhaps Paul wouldn’t mind if we added “neither black nor white.” Sure this brother is black and I’m white. Yet in Christ that no longer matters, or shouldn’t anyway.