Christmas hope

By Brett Corson

Preston, MN

Listen my friends and you shall hear a modern story of hope, answered prayers, and Christmas cheer.

This tale of Christmas hope is based on real events that happened in a small Southeastern Minnesota town. 

It all began three or four years ago when a young man suddenly left his home in a city somewhere out east.  He left without notice and there were no goodbyes.  There were no phone calls or letters after he left.  His family feared that he was lost forever.  His mother was broken-hearted but didn’t lose hope.  She prayed daily that he would return some day and make their family whole.

Halfway across the country on a cold, chilly December day, a young man wandered into a small town in Fillmore County.  He was pulling a broken down wagon stuffed full of clothes, plastic sacks and all of his worldly possessions.  To some people he may have appeared scraggly and scruffy.  He was a stranger and did not look like most people in that small town. 

The people of that small town could have easily ignored this homeless stranger and sent him on his way to another town.  Why should the people of that town care about this stranger?  Wouldn’t it have been easier to take him to Rochester, La Crosse, Minneapolis, or some big town?  Instead, a number of people and groups reached out to reach him.  The chief of police contacted a local church to see if they could help.  That church paid for a room at the local inn.  The chief replaced a flat tire on that broken down wagon.  The church contacted a local social services agency for additional help since the young man said that he was trying to find his way home.  He didn’t have a phone to call his family and didn’t know their phone number.  However, he still remembered his home address and gave that information to the many people who were helping him.  A local social services agency paid for another night at the inn while others provided food.  A social worker and the chief tried to contact the young man’s family.  The chief contacted law enforcement in that eastern city.  That law enforcement agency then called the family, left a note at the house, and eventually made contact.  A mother’s prayers were answered!  She told people that she had prayed every day for her son.  When she got out of bed that morning, something inside her felt like her prayers would be answered.  Was it a Christmas miracle?

Arrangements were made to get this man home.  Another night in the frozen hills of Minnesota.  Money was found to pay for a bus ticket back east.  The chief drove the young man and his wagon heaped full of belongings to a nearby city to catch the bus, using his personal vehicle because he couldn’t fit the wagon in his squad car.  The chief waited with the young man at the bus station, made sure he could get the wagon on the bus, and wished him a safe trip home.  A social worker made arrangements for his mother to meet him at the bus station and confirm his safe arrival.  His mother e-mailed that he was safe and thanked everyone who had given her such a precious Christmas gift.  She rejoiced that God, in his goodness and mercy, had returned her prodigal son.

This modern story is a reminder of the hope, light, and optimism of Christmas.  This has been a year of anxiety and fear for many of us.  We may feel overwhelmed with the COVID pandemaic, racial unrest, political bickering, and efforts to defund law enforcement.  This is a reminder that we are surrounded by good people who let their light shine in the darkness.  There is light in the darkness and hope when we may be anxious or afraid.  Long ago, a shining star led the wise men and shepherds through the darkness to a stable in Bethlehem.  There, they found the newborn baby Jesus who gave them hope and joy.  Hope, joy, and love are alive and well today.  Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas full of hope and blessings!