How Is It With Your Heart?

​November 2, 2025
 
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius
There once was an old man who lived alone in the woods far removed from anyone, cynical, crotchety, and to top it off, an unbeliever.
 
Every Christmas Eve, the neighbor children would invite him to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Always the same answer, “Bah humbug… if there is a God, why would he become a man?”
 
One Christmas Eve, after the neighboring children had once again been rejected, a snowstorm arose.  As the old man heard the wind howling, there was a sudden thumping on the window of his house.  As he peered through the frosted glass, he could see these cold sparrows flying into the glass of the window seeking shelter.  Feeling sorry for them, he put on his coat and went outside, walked across the yard, and opened the barn door.  He began to call them to come to the shelter of the barn.  Of course, though safety was close by, the sparrows did not heed his call.  Feeling sorry for these freezing sparrows, the old man then sprinkled some grain between the house and the barn hoping the sparrows would follow the trail of food to warmth and safety.  They did not.
 
In his frustration and trying to save the sparrows from the cold and certain death, the old man hollered out to the sparrows, “I wish I could become one of you!  Maybe then you would listen to me and follow me to warmth and safety.”  After spewing out these words in unfashionable love, suddenly, the old man realized that what he wanted to do, become one of them to save them because they would not listen, was exactly what Jesus did on Christmas.  Jesus became a man so that man would listen and be saved.
 
Deciding that he could not save the sparrows, the old man decided to save himself.   How the neighboring children were surprised and delighted when the old man, who had consistently rejected their annual invitations, suddenly sat down beside them at the Christmas Eve service.  
 
How is it with your heart?  
Pastor Allan
 
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