Compassion Bears

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. It's what I wait for all year long. It's a season of happiness, of joy, of brightness, of love. No, Christmastime isn't always an easy time but it's made easier because of the joy. Because of the good cheer.

Christmas is also about compassion. Being aware of others' distress and trying to do something about it, even if it's simply praying. Since Angela and I moved to Los Angeles and became members of Hollywood United Methodist Church (HUMC) Christmas has also been about compassion bears.

Yes, bears. As in teddy bears.

I don't know when the practice started or who's idea it first was. But I do know that the project has been going for years. When I first moved to Los Angeles almost ten years ago, I volunteered monthly at 5p21 -- the HIV/AIDS clinic downtown -- with a group from HUMC. And every year at Christmas we also visited the pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic next door. We visited with bags of teddy bears. And our church still does.

These aren't just any old bears, from the store. These are bears that have been bought in bulk, shipped to the church, and then distributed to the church community. These are bears that in November each year go home with people. They go home to be loved on and prayed over and dressed up.

Then on the first Sunday in December, which commemorates World AIDS Day, we bring the bears back and we line the altar with them.

It's a commonplace activity for us church members now. But when I sit back and think about it, really let it soak in, I am moved to tears.

These bears, that we dress up, that we fawn over, that sit in our houses for weeks on end, are loaded up and taken downtown to the children's AIDS hospital. Because there are hundreds of children who will be treated over the holiday season.

I think about the bears that Angela and I have loved on over the years. I think about the kids who have subsequently loved on those same bears. And I think about how special that connection is, that they know, even if it's just for a moment or two when they first receive their bears, that people in a church that they don't know about, love them enough to pray for them, to decorate bears for them, to think about them.

I don't want this to sound like I'm bragging on our church members, or well, maybe I do. But I just want that to wash over me for a second, over everyone for a second. Christians, in the world today, are praying over little kids, praying for little kids, praying for their families, praying for their health.

The world is such a dark and scary place sometimes, most times. It's such a big place. It's full of millions of people who have billions of things to do on any given day. We've got the government falling down around us. We've got the land burning up and melting and crying out for relief. We've got people who hurt one another so often we become numb to the news of it. But during Christmastime, during this magical time each year, we've got grown ups going around and looking for clothes and trinkets for teddy bears to wear. We've got grown ups thinking about the kids who will squeeze and love these bears. We've got love.

Love in the form of a teddy bear. Love in the form of a tutu or a hand-knitted scarf or a sombrero on a teddy bear.

That makes my heart sing. That makes my heart crumble. That makes everything better for just a little while. That joy, that happiness, that cheer, that love. THAT is what is magical during this season. That is what I wait all year for. That is what I cling to in those dark days. That is what I love about love. How it can make everything else fall away, for just a moment. A magical, mystical moment.